Increased risk of cancer of the colon and rectum. In the mid-1990s, studies at the University
of Oklahoma suggested that men who drink more than five beers a day are at increased risk
of rectal cancer. Later studies suggested that men and women who are heavy beer or spirits
drinkers (but not those who are heavy wine drinkers) have a higher risk of colorectal cancers.
Further studies are required to confirm these findings.
Malnutrition. While moderate alcohol consumption stimulates appetite, alcohol abuses
depresses it. In addition, an alcoholic may drink instead of eating. When an alcoholic does
eat, excess alcohol in his/her body prevents absorption of nutrients and reduces the ability
to synthesize new tissue.
Hangover. Alcohol is absorbed from the stomach and small intestine and carried by the
bloodstream to the liver, where it is oxidized to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase
(ADH), the enzyme our bodies use every day to metabolize the alcohol we produce when
we digest carbohydrates. The acetaldehyde is converted to acetyl coenzyme A and either
eliminated from the body or used in the synthesis of cholesterol, fatty acids, and body tis-
sues. Although individuals vary widely in their capacity to metabolize alcohol, an adult of
average size can metabolize the alcohol in four ounces (120 ml) whiskey in approximately
five to six hours. If he or she drinks more than that, the amount of alcohol in the body will
exceed the available supply of ADH. The surplus, unmetabolized alcohol will pile up in
the bloodstream, interfering with the liver’s metabolic functions. Since alcohol decreases
the reabsorption of water from the kidneys and may inhibit the secretion of an antidiuretic
hormone, the drinker will begin to urinate copiously, losing magnesium, calcium, and zinc
but retaining uric acid, which is irritating. The level of lactic acid in the body will increase,
making him or her feel tired and out of sorts; the acid-base balance will be out of kilter; the
blood vessels in the head will swell and throb; and the stomach, its lining irritated by the
alcohol, will ache. The ultimate result is a hangover whose symptoms will disappear only
when enough time has passed to allow the body to marshal the ADH needed to metabolize
the extra alcohol in the person’s blood.
Changes in body temperature. Alcohol dilates capillaries, tiny blood vessels just under the
skin, producing a “flush” that temporarily warms the drinker. But drinking is not an effective
way to stay warm in cold weather. Warm blood flowing up from the body core to the surface
capillaries is quickly chilled, making you even colder when it circulates back into your organs.
In addition, an alcohol flush triggers perspiration, further cooling your skin. Finally, very large
amounts of alcohol may actually depress the mechanism that regulates body temperature.
Impotence. Excessive drinking decreases libido (sexual desire) and interferes with the ability
to achieve or sustain an erection.
Migraine headache. Some alcoholic beverages contain chemicals that inhibit PST, an
enzyme that breaks down certain alcohols in spirits so that they can be eliminated from the
body. If they are not broken down by PST, these alcohols will build up in the bloodstream
and may trigger a migraine headache. Gin and vodka appear to be the distilled spirits least
likely to trigger headaches, brandy the most likely.
Distilled Spirits