What does alcohol do when it enters the body through blood vessels: consequences, possible diseases

Cognac is classified as a strong alcoholic drink; it is obtained by distilling young wine, which is then aged in oak barrels. An aromatic drink of a noble hue with a strength of 40-42% vol. is a high-calorie product, its nutritional value is 240 kcal/100 g. Cognac does have some beneficial properties, but, like any alcoholic drink, it has a detrimental effect on health and causes addiction when consumed regularly in large quantities.

Content:

1. The importance of blood vessels in the human body
2. Does alcohol dilate or constrict blood vessels in the brain and internal organs?
3. Can alcohol be beneficial?
4. Changes in blood composition
5. How to protect and strengthen blood vessels

The benefits and harms of alcohol-containing drinks are often debated. Some claim that with their help you can get dilated blood vessels and warm up on a frosty day in nature. Others say that ethanol, on the contrary, causes spasms in the circulatory system, which are dangerous to health. Who is right? Does alcohol really dilate blood vessels or does it still trigger a spasm reaction? This will be discussed below.

Impact of frequent alcohol consumption

After a short period of time, the smooth muscles of the vessel wall regain mobility, but blood pressure increases . Every dose of alcohol helps relax the circulatory system, after which the body restores its elasticity again. This is the cause of severe fatigue and intoxication.

Metabolism causes the production of acetaldehyde from ethanol. It is much more toxic than ethanol. Intoxication is felt as weakness until the alcohol is removed from the body.

Long-term alcohol consumption causes thinning of the walls and an increase in their permeability. This results in plasma leaving the bloodstream. The consequence is swelling, dehydration, in the absence of fluid deficiency in the body.

Acetaldehyde poisons the liver and pancreas. Cholesterol levels are rising. It is deposited on the surface of blood vessels. They become covered with atherosclerotic cholesterol growths. This is the reason why the wall of blood vessels becomes fragile, loses elasticity, and blood stagnation forms.

If you abuse alcohol, the circulatory system may not be able to withstand the load . The person will develop a stroke. The consequences of drinking alcohol are arrhythmia, thrombosis and varicose veins.

The importance of blood vessels in the human body

Before we talk about whether alcohol narrows or dilates blood vessels, let's talk about the meaning of the latter. There are vessels in all parts of the body, face, and limbs. They carry blood from one organ to another. They serve as a connecting link, without which the full functioning of the human body is impossible.

After drinking alcohol and under the influence of other negative factors, the composition of the blood changes greatly. The concentration of toxins, waste, and various toxic compounds increases in it. As a result, failures occur. They can lead to irreversible consequences and even death.

Without proper blood circulation, life is basically impossible. That is why it is important to know which alcohol dilates blood vessels, which constricts it, and whether it can be drunk to “warm up”.

Harm of cognac for men

Men often drink cognac to relax after a hard day, and also to tune in to intimacy. Alcohol gives self-confidence, increases libido and can really enhance potency.

However, it is worth remembering that we are talking about moderate consumption. Exceeding the permissible norm will have the opposite effect - decreased libido, drowsiness, problems with potency. The older a man is, the riskier it becomes to drink cognac before sexual intercourse. Needless to say that regular consumption of strong alcoholic beverages leads to decreased sperm activity and partial or complete impotence?

Cognac is not recommended for men who have a tendency to develop diabetes. The older a man is, the greater the risk of developing the disease and the more seriously he needs to take the choice of a way to relax.

Does alcohol dilate or constrict blood vessels in the brain and internal organs?

The answer to this question can be either positive or negative. Much depends on factors, including:

• age of the drinker;
• usual dose of alcohol consumed;
• type of alcohol used;
• frequency of ethanol intake;
• presence of acute/chronic diseases;
• general health.

If a young man who does not have any diseases drinks a small amount of alcohol once, then everything will be fine with his blood vessels. The blood will become less viscous and blood circulation will increase. But if an alcohol addict drinks alcohol, he may suffer a stroke, heart attack and other dangerous complications. There can no longer be any talk of security here.

Alcohol affects blood vessels in the following ways:

Soon after drinking, ethyl alcohol enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body. Taking into account the dose used, it can remain there for five hours or longer. During this time, it manages to have a poisonous effect on the internal organs.

Blood flow increases as soon after drinking alcohol the blood vessels dilate. It can get to the point where the capillaries begin to burst.

Due to the dilation of blood vessels, blood pressure decreases for a short time.

1. Soon the blood flow increases significantly, the heart begins to work much faster. Overload of the heart muscle is observed.
2. Adrenaline is actively released. It is thanks to him that the drinker experiences relaxation and euphoria.
3. The vessels narrow sharply. Blood accumulates in certain areas - the pressure rises. A hypertensive crisis may develop.
4. The patient has a desire to lie down and sleep.
5. The walls of the blood vessels expand again. Blood pressure decreases. A headache occurs. Alcohol addict gets sick.

Consequently, alcohol first dilates blood vessels and then narrows them. Its effect on the human body is so specific. Therefore, drinking it to feel warm in the cold is dangerous. At first, the effect of warmth spreading through the body will be created, but soon it becomes even colder. If a person drinks again, he will become intoxicated and generally lose control of his sensations. And this is fraught with frostbite.

The effect of alcohol on the heart

Constant expansion and contraction result in premature wear of the arterial membranes.
The risk of aneurysm and rupture increases. Especially when the pressure is high. The body is forced to increase cholesterol production to strengthen the most problematic areas. So the internal clearance becomes even smaller. It causes platelets to clump together and become clogged. Against this background, the following develop:

• Coronary insufficiency.
• Cardiomyopathy.
• Arterial stenosis, ischemic heart disease.
• All conditions are created for post-infarction necrosis of individual areas.

Can alcohol be beneficial?

“Swing”, caused by relaxation and spasm of blood vessels after drinking, is very harmful to health. They impair the functioning of the entire body as a whole. It is especially dangerous if the drinker is deficient in vitamins and minerals. Then the risks for internal organs increase significantly.

There is an opinion that small doses of ethyl alcohol are beneficial and cannot harm. It is a myth. Even a small dose of drinking causes a decrease in blood pressure. As a result, the vessels become less elastic, expand significantly, and blood flows faster to the organs. It would seem that there is nothing wrong with this, but it is not. After all, drinking ethanol contributes to:

• The appearance of disturbances in the activity of the cardiovascular system. Under the influence of alcohol, arteries and capillaries either narrow or increase in volume. This continues until ethyl alcohol is completely eliminated from the body. Such changes are abnormal and lead to premature wear and tear of the cardiovascular system.
• Hemorrhage. At some point, the vessels may not be able to withstand the changes occurring to them. Then they burst. This causes heart attack, stroke, thrombosis, and internal hemorrhage.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that usually those people who are used to drinking smoke and eat poorly. This means that their internal organs are already far from ideal, so disruption of the blood supply is unacceptable.

What happens to the heart and blood vessels with constant drinking of alcohol?

With regular consumption of alcohol-containing drinks, the heart accumulates a lot of fat, the tissues become more flabby, premature aging of the organ is observed, and a deterioration in its normal functioning is observed. There are high risks of developing hypertension . Characteristic symptoms:

• persistent and prolonged increase in blood pressure (140/90 or more);
• numbness of fingers and toes;
• excessive sweating;
• decreased performance, fatigue;
• dysregulation of vascular tone;
• swelling of the face, arms and legs;
• frequent migraines, dizziness.

The person will become more irritable and often feel sleepy during the day. At night, on the contrary, attacks of insomnia may occur. With high blood pressure, there is a high risk of developing atherosclerosis. This is a chronic disease caused by a violation of lipid-protein metabolism, excessive formation of cholesterol plaques in the lumen of blood vessels. This can cause them to become completely blocked.

Atherosclerosis often becomes a prerequisite for the development of coronary artery disease. The pathology is characterized by impaired blood supply to the myocardium (the muscular middle layer of the heart, which makes up its main part). The patient needs a large amount of oxygen, which can only be provided by a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition and frequent exposure to fresh air. Exacerbation of the disease leads to a heart attack, its chronic manifestations are characterized by a feeling of discomfort in the chest.

Changes in blood composition

Once in the systemic bloodstream, ethyl alcohol corrects the composition of the blood. Red blood cells suffer the most from all components of biological fluid. Ethanol destroys their outer shell, which increases the risk of microthrombi formation.

Blood sugar levels drop after drinking. As a result, there is a jump in cholesterol. A large amount of waste appears, which is one of the causes of alcohol intoxication.

It is important to understand that not a single milligram of alcohol passes through the body without leaving a trace. Therefore, doctors never tire of repeating: alcohol causes irreparable damage to health. You should try to take it as rarely as possible, or even better, stop using it completely.

Can it be used to clean arteries?

What does “cleaning blood vessels” mean? This is a decrease in the level of cholesterol, which can be deposited on the elastic walls, as well as a decrease in the size of atherosclerotic plaques.

Scientists say that drinking any alcoholic beverages slightly reduces cholesterol levels. And those who regularly drink the same cognac in small portions (before dinner) have really “cleaner” blood vessels.

But we should not forget about the negative impact on the liver , which is precisely what takes part in the breakdown of ethyl alcohol derivatives and their subsequent removal from the body. For her, alcohol in any form is a powerful toxin. And even “careful” consumption of cognac (in small portions) will sooner or later provoke liver failure.

Therefore, doctors categorically do not recommend using alcoholic beverages as a medicine to cleanse the circulatory system. An exception is the preparation of various types of cleansing infusions based on them with a very low percentage of alcohol (alcohol in this case acts as a preservative and absorbent element).

It is impossible to “dissolve” atherosclerotic plaques completely. With the help of cognac (like any other alcohol), you can only slightly reduce their size by stimulating the breakdown of lipid compounds (in combination with cholesterol, they form the basis of an atherosclerotic plaque).

How to protect and strengthen blood vessels

To avoid dangerous changes in the body’s functioning after drinking, narcologists use infusion therapy. It is based on the drip administration of drugs that neutralize ethanol and accelerate the elimination of its toxic metabolites.

The following solutions have an excellent effect on blood vessels:

• Saline solution 5%. It can be combined with a 10% glucose solution. This mixture effectively cleanses the blood, restores healthy water and electrolyte balance, and increases vital energy levels.
• Hemodez. A detoxifying composition that binds low molecular weight substances that circulate in the systemic circulation and ensures their rapid elimination from the body. Creates conditions for glomerular filtration and increased renal blood flow, enhances diuresis.
• Ringer's solution. Salt composition with a balanced content of electrolytes. Shows detoxification properties, normalizes the water and electrolyte composition of the blood. Can be used as a means to replenish circulating blood volume.
• Rondex. Hemodynamic drug. It is used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes if it is necessary to restore normal blood pressure after binge drinking.

All these medications are available to patients at the drug treatment clinic. A person who has experienced alcohol intoxication should not administer them to himself. Therefore, if after many days of drinking your health has deteriorated significantly, be sure to make an appointment with a narcologist. This way you will protect your blood vessels and heart.

Interestingly, different types of alcohol harm blood vessels in their own ways:

• Beer expands them not by degrees, but by a large amount of liquid.
  Stretched vascular walls become flabby. The body then forces the kidneys to produce substances that cause spasms. The risk of stroke doubles.
• The influence of wine varies.
  Dry red varieties are partly useful, giving elasticity to the arterial bed. But alcoholics treat them with contempt. Sweet wines do not differ in effect from strong alcohol. Sparkling varieties contain carbon dioxide - an additional factor in expanding and enhancing the contracting response.
• Vodka.
  The danger from it begins beyond the permissible 50 ml.
• Cognac with tannins
  in its composition contributes to the strength of the vascular membranes. 20-30 ml of an amber drink is enough for hypertensive patients to reduce blood pressure. But exceeding the therapeutic dose makes it equal to pure ethanol.

Literature:

1. Microcirculation channel and vessels of the brain under the conditions of alcocholic intoxication in experiment / A. A. Kalaev, A. A. Moldavskaya, A. V. Gorbunov; Russian Academician Natural Sciences, Astrakhan State. honey. acad. — Moscow: Acad. Natural Sciences: Astrakhan State. honey. acad., 2007 - 199 p.
2. Heart attack, stroke, sudden death. Risk factors, warning signs, prevention. / Lipovetsky, Boris Markovich. - St. Petersburg: SpetsLit, 2015. - p.
3. Risk factors for arterial hypertension / V. R. Weber, B. B. Fishman; Feder. education agency, Novgorod. state University named after Yaroslav the Wise, Novgorod. scientific Center of the Northwestern Branch of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. — St. Petersburg: Novgor. state univ., 2005 (St. Petersburg: Printing house “Science”). — 207 p.

The text was checked by expert doctors: Head of the socio-psychological service of the Alkoklinik MC, psychologist Yu.P. Baranova, L.A. Serova, a psychiatrist-narcologist.

CAN'T FIND THE ANSWER?

Consult a specialist

Or call: +7 (495) 798-30-80

Call! We work around the clock!

Traditional medicinal recipes

Although cognac itself is not the best remedy for strengthening blood vessels, it is an excellent basis for folk recipes. The most effective among them are:

• cognac tincture with cranberries;
• tea with cognac and cinnamon.

Cranberry tincture

Cranberries are good for the heart and blood vessels, as they contain a large amount of vitamin C and phenolic antioxidants, which lower cholesterol levels and strengthen blood vessels. Prepare a cranberry cleanser as follows:

1. Rinse 600 grams of cranberries under running water, place on a paper towel and mash a little (covering with another towel on top);
2. then transfer it to a jar, cover the top with gauze and leave it like that for a day;
3. Next - transfer the berries to an enamel bowl, add about 1 - 1.5 glasses of water and heat in a water bath until boiling;
4. after cooling, strain through cheesecloth;
5. add 500 milliliters of cognac to the resulting broth.

Take 30 milliliters before dinner . The course is at least 2 weeks.

Also watch this recipe video:

The remaining berries should not be thrown away. It is better to pour 1 liter of vodka over them and let them brew for 1 week in the cellar or in the refrigerator. The resulting tincture is no worse than expensive wine.

Adding to tea

It is considered the best tonic for blood vessels, and also normalizes blood pressure. Easy to prepare:

1. brew your usual tea (you can also use green or fruit tea);
2. add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon to 1 glass, 2 teaspoons of cognac;
3. let steep for 10 minutes and drink warm.

Drink no more than once a day to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

The combination of cinnamon and honey is also extremely beneficial for the cardiovascular system.

What else should you include in your diet?

A poorly balanced diet is the cause of many heart diseases. Together with food, the human body receives the substances necessary for health. The effect of foods on the cardiovascular system depends on their chemical composition.

The most important of them:

Fruits

They enrich the human body with vitamins, thin the blood, and cleanse the blood vessels.

Especially useful:

• bananas;
• lemons;
• green varieties of apples;
• pomegranate;
• persimmon.

Potassium and polyunsaturated fatty acids contained in fruits help cope with stress.

Vegetables

Leafy vegetables provide the best nutrition for your heart. They contain a large amount of magnesium, which enriches the blood with oxygen.

Eating sorrel, spinach and arugula will reduce the risk of blood clots . In winter, your diet should include:

• garlic;
• onion;
• pumpkin;
• tomatoes;
• horseradish.

They perfectly maintain their fresh quality for a long time. You can buy pepper in stores at any time of the year.

Berries

The minerals and vitamins contained in the berries increase a person's vitality . The role of berries in maintaining heart health is invaluable. Particularly beneficial for the cardiovascular system:

• cranberry;
• viburnum;
• grape;
• raspberries;
• blueberry;
• strawberries;
• turn

Quercetin contained in berries restores memory and improves heart rhythm.

Nuts

Nuts are included in the diet for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases due to their ability to cleanse the blood of cholesterol . Among the most useful:

• walnuts;
• almond;
• pistachios;
• peanut;
• pecans;
• pine nuts;
• hazelnut.

Various medicinal products are prepared on their basis. For heart health, you need to eat 1 handful of nuts per day.

Dried fruits

You can buy dried fruits in most stores. It is best to purchase a mixture consisting of prunes, dried apricots, raisins and honey; such a mixture can be made at home. Raisins and dates are no less useful. Before eating, dried apricots and prunes are soaked in warm water for several hours.

Dr. Amosov’s cardiac paste is also extremely effective.

Dairy

Dairy products used for food should have a low fat content. Among the most beneficial dairy products for the heart and blood vessels are:

• cow's milk;
• kefir;
• cottage cheese;
• hard cheese;
• yogurt;
• butter.

Consumption of dairy products helps strengthen the heart muscle.

Other products

• Fish is very good for the heart . Among the most healthy varieties of fish are 6 main types: halibut, cod, capelin, herring, tuna, mackerel. The substances included in these products provide blood purification, reducing the risk of heart attack and blood clots.
• Bitter chocolate. It has been scientifically proven that dark chocolate reduces blood pressure and the risk of death from heart disease. Thanks to this product, the elasticity of blood vessels increases and the load on the heart muscle decreases.
• Turmeric. The spice is recommended to be included in the diet for the treatment of cardiotoxicity and complications caused by diabetes. The plant is part of many drugs used to lower cholesterol levels and treat atherosclerosis.
• Flaxseed and olive oils. Olive oil reduces the risk of hypertension, heart attack and stroke. Flaxseed oil cleanses the blood of cholesterol and normalizes blood pressure.
• Beverages. Among the drinks, natural juices are of particular value: tomato, cranberry, pomegranate, grape, grapefruit and pumpkin. Soy milk and green tea are good for the heart. To increase the tone of the heart muscle, it is recommended to drink 1-2 cups of natural coffee a day. The main drinks for the cardiovascular system are water and dry red wine.

How should you drink cognac to lower blood pressure?

To avoid harm from cognac, you must always remember the following:

1. You should drink only high-quality drink.
2. Alcohol affects different people differently, so individual susceptibility should be taken into account.
3. Too high doses of any alcoholic drink, even the highest quality, harm the body and increase blood pressure.
4. You should not take medications for hypertension together with alcohol.
5. It is not recommended to consume salty foods at the same time as cognac, which increases blood pressure.
6. There is an opinion that to lower blood pressure you should drink light varieties of cognac, and for hypotension dark ones are better. This is explained by the fact that light and dark drinks have different levels of acids and tannins.
7. You should not often resort to this method of adjusting your blood pressure to avoid alcohol dependence. In this case, the person will justify his addiction by the benefits of cognac and the need to lower blood pressure.