Hey, party people.
Summer will be over before you know it.
You really only have a few more weeks until it’s back to sweaters and windbreakers.
With that said, some people’s drinking habits last way beyond the summer months.
In 2018, Americans drank 6.3 billion gallons of beer!
63% of Americans drink alcohol, with beer being their favorite beverage.
Think about the toll that taking on your insides.
Let’s discuss what drinking beer everyday does to your body.
Does bacteria grow in your gut?
How does it affect your heart?
I’m afraid to say what it does to the liver.
We’re talking all this AND more…
Changes In Your Heart
When you drink a ton of beer, your heart pays a price.
Your cardiovascular system will be begging for a break from the sauce!
It’s so funny, since beer in smaller amounts can actually be good for your heart.
Seriously, the alcohol is healthy for the blood vessels.
Studies show that between 15 to 30 grams of alcohol per day can put you at a 25% lower
risk of dying from heart disease.
But don’t go running to the liquor store just yet.
Higher consumption of beer can have the opposite effect.
It will actually make your heart weaker.
This is something known as cardiomyopathy.
The condition will give you high blood pressure and irregular beat patterns.
When the heart muscle is weakened, you can’t pump blood as quickly.
Long term drinking can put you at a greater risk of heart attack or stroke.
So if heart disease runs in your family, it’s probably a good idea to lay off the beer.
If you are going to drink, drink a moderate amount every now and then.
Have you ever been at risk of heart disease?
What did you do to help the situation?
Sound off in the comment section, and start a conversation with our Bestie community.
Gut Bacteria
You’ve heard of a “beer belly” right?
Well there’s a little more to it than you think.
A debate has been raging as to whether or not daily beer consumption has a significant
impact on your gut.
More specifically, the bacteria in your gut.
In case you didn’t know, there is bacteria living inside your body.
This is known as your microbiome.
Your gut bacteria is split into two groups: good bacteria and bad.
The good bacteria not only helps with digestion, it keeps the bad kind in check.
One of the easiest ways to maintain healthy gut bacteria is to live a healthy lifestyle.
This means exercising on the regular, getting proper rest, and eating nutritious foods.
Unfortunately, beer is one of those things that can really mess that up.
The average can of regular beer is roughly 150 calories.
These calories are fairly empty, outside of some calcium and potassium.
This same can give you 5% of your daily recommended carbs.
If you were to drink 4 cans of beer in a day, you’d be receiving 20% of your carbs from
this alone!
On top of that, beer encourages a lot of salty, fatty foods.
It’s rare you see friends out drinking without a basket of wings and fries on the table.
If these eating and drinking habits are a regular thing, you’re looking at one unhealthy
gut.
Bad gut bacteria will travel through the gastrointestinal tract, leading to other organs and opening
the door for new health problems.
This brings me to my next point.
Oh The Liver Problems….
An unhealthy liver is probably the health issue most associated with alcohol abuse.
When you drink beer, or any alcohol for that matter, oxidation takes place.
This is where your liver detoxifies and removes the booze through your bloodstream.
Once this process is over with, the beer will have turned into water or carbon dioxide.
If you are drinking too much, your liver will be overwhelmed and won’t have time to process
it.
This leads to a fatty liver.
Statistically, a fatty liver develops in 90% of people who drink more than 2 ounces of
alcohol each day.
If this sounds like you, well you may want to see a doctor.
Symptoms of a fatty liver include nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and
abdomen pain.
The good news is that a fatty liver is reversible.
That is if you can stay away from beer for 3 to 6 weeks.
If you aren’t paying attention to your symptoms and continue your daily drinking habits, this
can lead to cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis is a later state of liver disease, where your liver begins to scar.
When the liver is injured, it naturally tries to repair itself.
During this process, scar tissue will form.
Because the cirrhosis is so overwhelming for the organ, it will form a little too much
scar tissue.
As a result, your liver won’t function properly.
This can be life-threatening.
Cirrhosis to the liver usually can’t be undone.
But it can be treated if spotted early.
Pretty scary, huh?
It’s creeping me out too.
I’m definitely going to feel weird the next time I’m invited to a pool party.
Before we continue, are you trying to get in shape without the expensive gym membership?
Check out our recent video on 6 Cardio Exercises You Can Do At Home.
Now back to our discussion on 13 Foods To Eat If You Want Beautiful White Teeth.
Poor Immune System
If you drink beer every day, it will affect your immune system.
Excessive alcohol kills your body’s cells.
This includes immune cells.
Since your immune system is now down, you are now vulnerable to infections and disease.
From here, various areas of your body won’t function.
Take your lungs for example.
When your immune cells become damaged, alcohol will hurt your airways.
This leaves a clear path for dangerous particles to get into your system, including germs and
viruses.
Let’s go back to the gut for a second.
Intense beer consumption on a daily basis will trigger gut inflammation.
This kills microorganisms that live in your intestines and cause further damage to the
immune system.
Studies show that constant booze consumption leaves a clear path to lung diseases like
ARDS, or acute respiratory distress syndrome.
This is where your lungs are so infected, that fluid leaks in, preventing oxygen from
properly entering the bloodstream.
Most people diagnosed with this disease don’t find out until they have been hospitalized.
These studies have also linked daily alcohol consumption with pneumonia and tuberculosis.
It doesn’t matter if it’s beer or something stronger.
Say It With Me…
Pancreatitis
Studies have suggested that constant booze consumption may lead to disease in the pancreas.
Your pancreas is a crucial organ located between your stomach and upper abdomen.
It helps both digestion and the way your body processes sugar.
Early research has shown that drinking beer can put you at risk of acute pancreatitis.
This is when the pancreas becomes inflamed.
But here’s the thing, only 1-3% of heavy boozers will develop acute pancreatitis within
the span of 10-20 years.
Keep in mind, pancreatitis is something that continues long after whatever triggered it
has gone away.
So it may not be out of place to experience pancreatitis after the 20 year window.
Despite this research, recent studies have shown that serious beer drinkers have no greater
risk of developing pancreatitis than sober folks.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a short term drinker, or long term.
So while the studies are mixed, there is reason to believe that beer consumption on a daily
basis can still hurt your pancreas.
Some symptoms of pancreatitis include vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and nausea.
Don’t hesitate to talk to seek help if you are seeing these signs.
You Are More Prone To Cancer
I know, it’s terrifying.
But it needs to be said.
The more beer you consume, the greater risk you’re at of getting cancer.
Alcohol abuse in general has been linked to many cancer types.
These include oral, esophagus, liver and breast cancers.
While we are already at risk of cancer throughout our lives, heaving boozing only increases
our odds.
Experts state that even moderate beer consumption puts you at greater risk of breast cancer
than other cancers related to alcohol abuse.
Here’s how it happens…
When you drink beer, your body breaks it down into chemicals that mess with your DNA.
This makes it harder for your body to repair any of the damage the booze has done.
When your DNA has been damaged, your cells go wild.
This can result in them forming a cancerous tumor.
At the same time, drinking only a few beers every week probably isn’t going to hurt
you.
So it’s safe to say that the more you stay away from the sauce, the more your chances
decline.
This will definitely make you pull back and think before you crack open your next cold
one.
Have you been drinking a lot lately?
Would you consider cutting back after watching this video?
Let us know in the comments below.
We would love to hear from you!