- Any alcoholic drink, be it beer or spirits is diuretic.
- Alcohol causes the body to produce an increased amount of urine.
Image: MARGARET WANJIRU
Are you that person who likes drinking alcohol either for enjoyment, ‘kill’ stress, or to increase your social capital?
Well, no matter your intentions, water is key.
Apart from getting rid of wastes through urine, perspiration, bowel movements and maintaining body temperature, it also lubricates and cushions joints.
While there are many theories being put across by some experiments on its benefits, one fact remains—it has adverse effects on your body particularly if you are a heavy drinker.
World Health Organization says alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions.
Worldwide, three million deaths are reported yearly as a result of the harmful use of alcohol representing 5.3 per cent of all deaths.
Any alcoholic drink, be it beer or spirits is a diuretic. It makes you lose more water than you take especially if you are taking it on an empty stomach that is why it is always advisable to eat first.
It also causes the body to produce an increased amount of urine.
According to Associate professors Robert Swift (Brown University) and Davidson Dena (Indiana University), the consumption of 50g of alcohol in 250 millilitres of water causes the elimination of 600 to 1,000ml of water over several hours.
“Alcohol promotes urine production by inhibiting the release of a hormone in the pituitary gland. In turn, reduces levels of antidiuretic hormone prevent the kidneys from conserving water and thereby increase urine production,” they have indicated in their research.
Heavy drinking also leads to low blood sugar alcohol and gastrointestinal disturbances.
The amount of water you take depends on the climate and the activity you are engaged in but it is recommended that when taking alcohol you must have plenty of water next to you.
This is because lack of water not only robs your body of key electrolytes, but also exaggerates the symptoms of a hangover.
Drinking on an empty stomach is also discouraged because alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream within minutes but drinking water or eating while you consuming alcohol may take much longer.
A Healthline report states that after it enters your bloodstream, alcohol can travel anywhere in your body. This includes your brain, which is why you feel loopy and your judgment is impaired when you are buzzed or drunk.
Swift says too much alcohol without sufficient water also causes a hangover.
Physical symptoms of a hangover include fatigue, headache, increased sensitivity to light and sound, redness of the eyes, muscle aches, and thirst.
Mental symptoms include dizziness; a sense of the room spinning and possibly cognitive and mood disturbances, especially depression, anxiety and irritability.
After taking a drink, both the liquid contents of the beverage pass through your stomach lining and small intestine into the bloodstream.
When it is processed by enzymes in the liver, alcohol is converted into a large amount of acetaldehyde. This common substance can become toxic in high doses.
In order to break this substance down and remove it from the body, your liver does most of the work of turning it into acetate.