It is believed that with hypertension, doctors recommend drinking beer. It is believed that this drink widens the lumen of the arteries, which helps to lower the pressure. Is it so? Expands or narrows beer vessels? Can doctors really recommend drinking alcohol? What is the effect of alcohol on blood vessels?
The answers to all these questions can be found in the article. It is worth noting that sooner or later, fans of a hoppy drink will have to think about how to make beer at home. Because it is such alcohol that will cause minimum harm to the body.
The effect of a foamy drink on blood vessels
So dilates beer vessels or narrows them? Of course, like any other alcohol, the intoxicated drink makes the vessels wider, and theoretically, the pressure should drop, since all arteries, capillaries and veins expand, which reduces the pressure on their walls. Plus, beer is also a diuretic, and the release of excess fluid also reduces pressure.
But unfortunately, practical experiments give slightly different results. Pressure drops, but not more than 8 millimeters of mercury, and this is if you drink no more than half a liter of hop drink. But the further use of a low alcohol drink can ruin everything. Since the vessels will expand even more, but the heart rate will increase. This means that blood will run through the vessels at a higher speed, respectively, the pressure will start to jump up and down.
So the answer to the question, dilates blood vessels or constricts beer, is found, but there is little sense in it. In addition, pressure may begin to rise too quickly due to renal dysfunction, especially at the time of the active stage of inflammation. After all, this body is directly involved in the regulation of blood pressure. So in the end it turns out that beer raises the pressure.
The consequences of excessive drinking
Expands or narrows beer vessels, have already figured out, but are there any other consequences for vessels? Of course have:
- A hoppy drink has an antispasmodic effect, which negatively affects the walls of blood vessels. And more precisely, the risk of their thinning increases significantly.
- With regular use of intoxicated, the likelihood of cholesterol plaques is almost 100%. Beer contains a lot of maltose, and it subsequently becomes glucose. If its level becomes excessively high, then microcracks form on the inside of the vessel walls, and this is an ideal place for the accumulation of cholesterol. So the statement that the foam cleanses the blood vessels turned out to be erroneous.
- Natural beer in small quantities improves elasticity. But this is if not abused. If you exceed the norm of consumption, then the walls simply become thinner. Which, in turn, can lead to ruptures, and, accordingly, to a stroke or heart attack.
- Beer significantly reduces the body's production of arginine-vasopressin, and it is this substance that greatly affects the water-salt metabolism. This explains the desire to go to the toilet after just one small glass of beer.
It becomes clear that the effect of alcohol on blood vessels is sharply negative.
Alcohol and cerebral vessels
According to statistics, judging by the studies, people who often drink alcohol are four to five times more likely to suffer from damage to the vessels of the brain. They are more susceptible to such a disease as atherosclerosis of the brain. This ailment in drinking citizens proceeds in a more severe form and inflicts a strong blow to the psyche.
The same goes for stroke. It is alcohol that significantly increases the risk of both ischemic stroke, in which a certain vessel is clogged, and hemorrhagic, in which hemorrhage occurs in the brain. The likelihood of a second stroke in people who abuse alcohol is two times higher. From all of the above, it becomes clear that beer negatively affects the vessels of the brain.
The effect of alcohol on the vascular system
- Those who like to consume a foamy drink daily are at a high risk of damage to the centers of the brain, due to which the regulation of vascular tone is carried out. Here is the answer to the question of why the vessels narrow. After all, at some point they simply lose their ability to expand.
- Very likely a violation of autonomic reactions.
- The activity of the organs of the endocrine system is disrupted.
All these changes lead to a hypertensive crisis. Or, as mentioned above, due to a decrease in tone, blood flow slows down and an ischemic stroke occurs.
Due to the frequent use of beer or any other alcohol, the walls of the blood vessels become permeable, and this steadily leads to cerebral edema. The level of blood coagulability increases. Red blood cells are under the influence of toxins, which disrupts their participation in gas exchange. The danger of beer also lies in the fact that salty savory snacks are most often consumed under it. And such food also contributes to the appearance of a hypertensive crisis.
Regular consumption of a foamy drink negatively affects the liver, which, in turn, disrupts the metabolism. This also adversely affects the reactivity of cerebral vessels. All alcohol-dependent people suffer from a lack of B vitamins, because of this, the adrenergic receptor malfunction occurs in the body, which often leads to vascular paresis and stagnation of blood.
More subtle studies of the brain of a person who died from alcohol intoxication were conducted. Revealed changes in nerve cells at the level of the nucleus and protoplasm. Exactly the same changes occur when poisoning with any strong poison. It is worth noting that the cerebral cortex in this situation has more damage than the subcortex. This can only mean one thing - alcohol destroys the cells of higher centers much more than lower ones.
What happens to the brain of a drunk person
When a person is in a normal state, there is a special coating on the surface of red blood cells. It is electrified by friction against the vessel wall. Any red blood cell has a unipolar negative discharge, so during the movement they "jump" from each other. Any alcohol, even beer, is an excellent solvent. It completely destroys the protective layer and relieves stress. That is, red blood cells stop repelling and begin to actively clump together, forming blood clots. And the more drunk, the larger such formations become.
The human brain contains more than fifteen billion neurons. Each nerve cell has its subtlest microcapillary. Red blood cells leak through the cell one at a time. If an accumulation of red blood cells approaches it, then they clog the entrance, thereby blocking the access of blood to the neuron. A cell without red blood cell access dies in less than ten minutes.
As oxygen access becomes limited, oxygen starvation of the brain occurs, it is called "hypoxia". This is what is considered harmless intoxication. But it’s not so harmless. To begin with, certain parts of the brain go numb, and then completely die off. And alcoholics perceive this as an opportunity to relax and forget about the problems.
In fact, such euphoria is caused by the fact that most of the brain simply does not work and it is not able to objectively perceive all information. Most often, it is rejection of precisely negative information. No matter how terrible it sounds, a person enjoys drinking beer at the moment when his brain dies. Even after a slight libation, a lot of dead neurons appear in the head.
When a pathologist performs an autopsy of a person who has abused alcohol, he discovers a brain, the volume of which is much smaller than expected, on its surface there are ulcers, scars and even loss of whole structures.
During the autopsy, it most often becomes apparent that it is the brain that suffers the most from alcohol. The hard shell is in tension, and the soft shell is full of blood, and even swollen. Most vessels are excessively dilated. Also in the brain there is a large number of microcysts, 1-2 mm each. Hemorrhages and brain necrosis contribute to their appearance. The worst thing is that it is not necessary to abuse every day for a pathologist to find such a picture, it is also characteristic of moderately drinkers.
The effect of beer on other organs
How does beer affect the body as a whole? And here the answer is also disappointing. From any, even weak alcohol, all internal organs suffer. Here are the most dangerous consequences.
Renal failure
The use of a hopped drink contributes to the violation of the water-salt balance, the regulator of which is precisely the kidneys. With beer abuse, they simply stop coping. In some cases, this develops into pyelonephritis, in others - into urolithiasis.
Liver failure
Ethyl alcohol, which is necessarily present in beer, is eliminated from the body through the liver. It's no secret that alcohol is a toxin, it is it that leads to the destruction of liver cells.
Heart failure
Since under the influence of alcohol, the heart rate increases sharply, the density of muscle fibers decreases. Most often, this leads to disruption of the sinus node or microinfarction. It also provokes beer heart syndrome.
Harm to the pancreas
This organ sharply increases the load when drinking a foamy drink. Its main task is the production of insulin, with the help of which glucose is oxidized and absorbed. When beer is consumed, the amount of sugar in the blood rises, this can lead to the appearance of fibrosis of the gland tissue, from which the hormone is produced in much smaller quantities.
As mentioned above, drinking beer negatively affects the central nervous system. There is a destruction of nerve cells that are not restored. Also, a foamy drink can cause cerebral arteriosclerosis.
Obesity
An intoxicated drink is very rich in maltose, which the human body processes into glucose, but practically does not consume it. Naturally, this leads to an increase in body fat mass. Moreover, with the constant use of alcohol, the risk of a sharp drop in vision is high, this is due to the high pressure in the eyeball. The neural connection between nerve cells is deteriorating, and this negatively affects the sensitivity of the optic nerve.
Beer is a drink that is known and loved throughout the world. The first mention of it is associated with Ancient Egypt. At the moment, this drink can be found in any supermarket in any country, with the exception of the states in which the dry law applies.
In order to understand which beer is good in Russia, you need to try many brands. But still, not a single drink purchased can be compared with the one prepared by one’s own hands.
Homemade Foam Drink
There is an opinion that before making beer at home, you need to get a home brewery. But it is not so. For this process, kitchen utensils that are in every home are also suitable. For example, a large pot. Moreover, in our time the task of homebrewers is very much facilitated by the presence of hop cones and malt in stores.
Before brewing beer, you need to choose a recipe. After all, the range of foam drinks is quite diverse, and there can be a great many related ingredients too.
If the classic drink is to be prepared, then only yeast, hops, malt and water should be prepared. If you do not depart from the recipe, strictly withstand all pauses, then a homemade drink will delight you with a thick consistency and a chic foamy cap. The main advantage of a home-made hop drink is that it does not undergo filtration and pasteurization, that is, its taste will be real, lively, without a taste of preservatives. Moreover, only natural ingredients are used for its production, which is why the use of this drink in moderate doses will not cause much harm to the body.
How to brew beer at home
Brewing can be called art, which is why not everyone decides to make a hoppy drink at home. Anyway, it’s much easier to drop into a supermarket and buy a couple of bottles of beer than to mess with making it.
In order to brew a classic foamy drink, four ingredients are needed: hops, malt, water and brewer's yeast.
An important point: you should not save on yeast. They need to be bought in a specialized store, since the outcome of such an important event depends on this ingredient. It is better, of course, if the yeast is brewery, but it is not always possible to find them. Then you can use the usual ones. The main thing is that they are dry and alive. Malt and hops, of course, can be made on their own, but the process is quite time-consuming and lengthy. So it’s better to use purchased ones too.
If light beer is brewed, then you need ordinary malt, dried naturally. For dark beer, a little more caramel is added to ordinary malt, which is dried in the oven. Malt is dried, unrefined barley, which is used as a natural filter. It has a white color, a sweetish taste and a pleasant smell. These grains do not sink. Before use, barley is ground with a roller mill, which leaves the husk intact.
The next ingredient is hops. All its varieties can conditionally be divided into two types: fragrant and bitter. Here you need to choose the one that suits your taste. The main thing is the quality of the product, the density of beer will depend on it. Hop cones should have a yellowish and reddish hue.
Water needs to be used soft and purified, it is better to use spring water, although purchased water is also suitable. In extreme cases, you can take just boiled, but if the water is tasteless, then the beer will be, to put it mildly, not very, and all efforts will go down the drain.
There is another ingredient - sugar. There are 8 grams of sand per liter of beer. It saturates the drink with carbon dioxide. It can be replaced with glucose or honey. This will be enough to cook a high-quality, tasty product.
Beer Density Table
Why is density of a foamy drink important? Because it directly affects the taste of beer. The higher it is, the more tart, the drink will be more saturated, and the taste and aroma is filled with malt shades.
When the beer density is low, the drink becomes light and “drinkable”, a glass of such a hop can be drunk in one gulp.
Varieties with high density are suitable for a feast with hearty snacks, and the lungs are perfect for quenching thirst.
Yeast turns dry matter into ethyl alcohol. In order to calculate how much alcohol is in beer, use a special table of density and alcohol content.