Alcohol consumption in India expected to go up to 6.21 billion liters by 2024: Data
As per statista. com, the alcohol consumption in India amounted to about five billion liters in 2020 and has been estimated to reach about 6.21 billion liters by 2024.
Alcohol consumption is held accountable for several life threatening conditions and health agencies across the world are working towards eliminating the risks associated with consumption of hard liquor.
"No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health": WHO
In January 2023, an official statement from the World Health Organisation (WHO) had gained global attention. Published in The Lancet Public Health, WHO's official statement said, when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.
The WHO termed alcohol as a toxic, psychoactive substance.
Alcohol has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer along with asbestos, radiation and tobacco.
Ethanol has a direct impact on major body organs
The main component of alcohol, ethanol, affects the stomach, brain, heart, gallbladder, and liver. Heavy drinks lead to painful stools, ulcers and hemorrhoids.
Regular alcohol consumption leads to inflammation of the liver causing alcoholic hepatitis, it also scars the liver causing cirrhosis.
Alcohol damages the heart muscles and causes cardiomyopathy. Those who consume alcohol are more likely to develop pneumonia and tuberculosis. As per the WHO data, 8.1% of TB cases worldwide are linked to alcohol consumption.
Different hypotheses that explain the link between alcohol and life threatening diseases
Ethanol breaks down to form acetaldehyde, a toxic chemical and a potential carcinogen that can damage DNA.
Ethanol generates reactive oxygen elements that damage DNA, proteins through oxidation.
It obstructs the body's ability to absorb a variety of essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals which are crucial for several bodily functions.
It increases the levels of estrogen, a hormone linked to the increase in risk of breast cancer.
Alcohol is responsible for 7 types of cancer
Alcohol is one of the leading causes behind common cancers like breast cancer, oral cancer, cancer of pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon and rectum.
As per The International Agency for Research on Cancer, the breakdown of ethanol forms carcinogenic substances that are harmful to humans.
"Ethanol (alcohol) causes cancer through biological mechanisms as the compound breaks down in the body, which means that any beverage containing alcohol, regardless of its price and quality, poses a risk of developing cancer," the WHO warns.
In the long run, regular alcohol does this to the body
Regular consumption of alcohol causes changes in the mood, causes irritability, affects sleep pattern, weakens the immune system, affects the libido, disturbs appetite and weight, disrupts memory and concentration, has difficulty to focus on regular tasks and affects social behaviour.
The effect of alcohol on an individual extends from physical health to mental health and social behaviour.
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