Tag: Alcohol

Is drinking alcohol and sleeping on long haul flights dangerous ?

Yes, it could be risky to drink alcohol and sleep on long haul flights. This is particularly relevant for those who have any heart or lung conditions.

A recent paper analysed the effect of alcohol in a flight simulator. In healthy individuals, the combined effect of alcohol and low pressure in the flight cabin affected sleep quality and put extra strain on heart.

The authors suggest that these changes noted in these young and healthy individuals could be more detrimental in older people with heart and lung conditions.

The authors advise restricting alcoholic beverages before and during long haul flights.

References

1. Daily Telegraph. Falling asleep on a plane after drinking could be deadly. Sarah Knapton, SCIENCE EDITOR. 4 June 2024 • 8:02am

2. Effects of moderate alcohol consumption and hypobaric hypoxia: implications for passengers’ sleep, oxygen saturation and heart rate on long-haul flights.

Disclaimer: Please note – This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog are NOT, in any way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice. The blog is NOT previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed, in any way, by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog likely represents some of the author’s personal views held at the time of drafting the blog and MAY CHANGE overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light.

Is drinking alcohol within guideline amount safe ?

No !

It would be a shock for many to hear that “No amount of alcohol is absolutely safe”.

A team at Imperial College London analysed MRI scans of heart, brain and liver of people who drink alcohol. They found that higher alcohol consumption was related to smaller brain, weaker heart and fatty liver.

They reported that “there is no ‘safe threshold’ below which there were no toxic effects of alcohol.

Previously other studies have also reported that there is no safe limit for alcohol!

In 2018, a Lancet study reported that the risk of death and risk of cancers increased substantially with increasing levels of alcohol consumption; and there was no safe limit below which there was no risk.

The message is “Avoid alcohol”

If you can’t, then atleast drink as little as possible.

References:

Alcohol consumption in the general population is associated with structural changes in multiple organ systems. Evangelos Evangelou, Hideaki Suzuki, Wenjia Bai, Raha Pazoki, He Gao, Paul M Matthews MD, PhD, Paul Elliott. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65325

Does Drinking Within Low-Risk Guidelines Prevent Harm? Implications for High-Income Countries Using the International Model of Alcohol Harms and Policies
Adam Sherk et al. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2020 May

Lancet. GBD 2016 Alcohol Collaborators
Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.
Lancet. 2018; (published online Aug 23.)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31310-2

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is NOT a expert medical opinion on various topics. This blog is purely for information only and do check the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you. The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any organisation that the author is associated with. The views expressed in this blog are not, in way whatsoever, intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Are spirits and beers more risky than wine?

Yes, according to a recent UK biobank study.

A large study of 309,123 participants found that Spirit drinking was associated with higher risk of early death compared to red wine drinking.

Beer/cider drinkers were also found to be at a higher risk of early death.

Alcohol consumption without food was associated with higher risk of early death compared to consumption with food.

Binge drinking with Alcohol consumption over 1–2 times/week was more risky compared to drinking spread out over 3–4 times/week.

But the study doesn’t seem to have looked at teetotallers. The study specifically excluded Abstainers and infrequent alcohol consumers. It is quite possible that avoiding alcohol altogether may be more beneficial but that might not be acceptable to many people !

As usual most of studies relating to food and drink need to be taken with a dose of healthy scepticism.

References:

Daily Mail. I Drinking wine instead of beer or spirits is healthier and could cut risk of death, study suggests. By Xantha Leatham For The Daily Mail 01:49, 12 Jan 2021 , updated 01:59, 12 Jan 2021

Association between patterns of alcohol consumption (beverage type, frequency and consumption with food) and risk of adverse health outcomes: a prospective cohort study. Bhautesh Dinesh Jani1* , Ross McQueenie1, Barbara I. Nicholl1, Ryan Field2, Peter Hanlon1, Katie I. Gallacher1, Frances S. Mair1 and Jim Lewsey2. Jani et al. BMC Medicine (2021) 19:8 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01878-2

BBC. No alcohol safe to drink, global study confirms. By Laurel Ives. BBC Health. Published24 August 2018

Guardian. Study finds one small alcoholic drink a day raises risk of irregular heartbeat. Researchers examined heart health and drinking habits of 108,000 people aged 24 to 97 over 14 years
The report found people who consumed equivalent to a 330ml beer, a 120ml glass of wine, or 40mls of spirits were 16% more likely than teetotallers to develop atrial fibrillation.
Ian Sample Science editor
@iansample
Wed 13 Jan 2021 06.00 GMT

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please DO consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you.

The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and may change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not necessarily endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with and the authors views are not in way intended to be a substitute for professional advice.

Can Coffee cause abortion ?

Yes, it can .

Coffee can harm pregnancy. Coffee can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, lower birth weight, and preterm birth.

Hence various guidelines do advise reduction in coffee consumption during pregnancy.

A recent study in BMJ group journal goes further and suggests avoiding coffee altogether during pregnancy.

There are caveats but those who want to be very cautious should consider avoiding coffee during pregnancy just like one avoids alcohol during pregnancy.

References

1. Guardian Newspaper. No safe level of coffee drinking for pregnant women, study says.

2. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine. Jack James RT al. Reykjavik University

3. Independent newspaper. No safe level of caffeine consumption for pregnant women and would-be mothers, study suggests

4. World Health Organization. Restricting caffeine intake during pregnancy.

5. UK. Food Standards Agency. Assessment of caffeine consumption, altered caffeine metabolism and pregnancy outcome.

5. NICE. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. New recommended drinking guidelines welcomed by NICE.

Disclaimer: Please note- This blog is NOT medical advice. This blog is purely for information only and do check the the sources where cited. Please consult your own doctor to discuss concerns and options relevant to you.

The views expressed in this blog represent the author’s views held at the time of drafting the blog and is likely to change overtime, particularly when new evidence comes to light. The blog is not necessarily endorsed by any organisation the author is associated with and views are not substitute for professional advice.