Don’t make Xmas too merry
Overindulging in alcohol can do worse than giving you a hangover.
is the season to eat, drink and be merry but guzzling a few too many beersies could see you suffering much more than a regretplagued hangover.
Massey University School of Sport, Exercise and Nutrition senior lecturer Dr Matthew Barnes said the amount we drink often increases during the festive season, and that overindulging can pose a serious risk to our health.
So just how much damage can Christmas do to our bodies and what can we do to survive the silly season?
According to the Health Promotion Agency (HPA), which aims to reduce the harm caused by alcohol, Kiwi women shouldn’t have more than two standard drinks a day — the equivalent of about 200ml of wine — to reduce long-term health risks, and men were advised to have no more than three standard drinks a day.
“As you start to drink more, it obviously increases your risk [of health issues], particularly if that drinking behaviour is regular,” said Barnes.
These health issues included weight gain and an increased risk of stroke, diabetes and psychological disorders such as depression.
According to the Cancer Society, the risk of getting cancer, including mouth, throat, liver, bowel and breast, also increases with the amount of alcohol you drink.
Barnes said drinking alcohol was also known to decrease the production of testosterone in males, which can functions.
It can increase a man’s production of the female hormone oestrogen.
“If you are consuming lots of alcohol over a prolonged period of time, in males it can lead to feminising effects, so an increase in body fat, shrinking of the testicles, a decrease in muscle mass,” said Barnes. affect their sexual STAY HYDRATED
Being dehydrated will cause alcohol to have a greater effect on your body. Consume water, between alcoholic drinks, particularly in hot weather. EATING IS NOT CHEATING
Eat before and while drinking. This will slow the absorption of alcohol so it has less effect on you.
PACE YOURSELF
Drinking rapidly will cause alcohol to accumulate in your blood meaning you will feel the effects faster.
KEEP TRACK
Drunk people are poor at estimating how much alcohol they have had. Know your limits. BEERSIES
Drink beverages with lower alcohol content like beer; spirits such as vodka are typically about 40 per cent alcohol.
Having one too many tequila shots after a hard year’s work can also lead to the type of bad decisions that see you dancing on table tops or professing your love for a colleague.
“We start to back ourselves a bit more than we probably should, doing things that are probably a bit unwise and we wouldn’t do if alcohol wasn’t in our system.”
Barnes said alcohol has detrimental effects on co-ordination, reaction time, decision making and the way we think about risks.
And the bad news is, there is nothing to speed up getting over the effects of a hangover, according to Barnes.
“It’s more about being more aware of the risk you are putting yourself under and then making a personal decision to change your drinking behaviour.”
“We start to back ourselves a bit more than we probably should, doing things that are probably a bit unwise and we wouldn’t do if alcohol wasn’t in our system.”
Dr Matthew Barnes