Alcohol use, particularly heavy drinking, has been blamed for increased risk of lifestyle diseases. PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK
Alcohol use, particularly heavy drinking, has been blamed for increased risk of lifestyle diseases.
Excessive drinking can increase your risk of health problems, including certain cancers —breast cancer and cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus and liver, pancreatitis, sudden death if you already have cardiovascular disease, heart muscle damage leading to heart failure, stroke, high blood pressure and liver disease.
With the festive season, one of the greatest challenges patients have is adherence to prolonged treatment don’ts, especially for lifestyle diseases notably diabetes, heart, tuberculosis and cancer, among others. Common among all don’ts, alcohol has been a major irresistible problem, while patients are on treatment or in the healing process.
Alcohol causes serious healing delays, recurrence or worsens certain health conditions in the course of treatment, such conditions include:
Antibiotic use and alcohol
Antibiotics should not be mixed with alcohol because this may result in a more severe reaction.
Drinking any amount of alcohol with these medications can result in side effects such as flushing, headache, nausea and vomiting, and rapid heart rate as a result of increased blood pressure.
Although modest alcohol use doesn’t reduce the effectiveness of most antibiotics, it can reduce your energy and delay how quickly you recover from illness. So, it’s a good idea to avoid alcohol until you finish your antibiotics and are feeling better.
High blood pressure
Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension), your doctor may advise you to reduce the amount of alcohol you drink.
Unfortunately, red wine as a miracle drink for heart health is a myth. The link reported in many of these studies supporting this myth may be due to other lifestyle factors rather than alcohol.
Like any other dietary or lifestyle choice, it is a matter of moderation.
Diabetes
The liver normally releases stored sugar to counteract falling blood sugar levels. But if your liver is busy metabolising alcohol, your blood sugar level may not get the boost it needs from your liver.
Alcohol can result in low blood sugar shortly after you drink it and for as many as 24 hours.
Alcohol can aggravate diabetes complications, such as nerve damage and eye disease. But if your diabetes is under control and your doctor agrees, an occasional alcoholic drink is fine.
However, choose alcoholic drinks that will not raise your blood sugar but also remember to check your sugar levels regularly as advised by the doctor.
Gout
Gout is a type of arthritis that can be directly related to one’s alcohol intake.
Gout is a condition where a buildup of a chemical known as uric acid happens in your joints both hands and or feet, and it’s incredibly painful. It can be temporary, or it can recur over and over again. Doctors believe that alcohol and arthritis, at least in this situation are related because beer and liquor increase the risk of developing gout.
Gout is triggered by food and drinks that have substances referred to as purine, and the amount of purine in alcohol is quite high.
The only type of arthritis that seems to be potentially caused by alcohol is gouty arthritis. However, having alcohol in moderation may lower your risk of developing other types of arthritis.
At the same time, if you already have arthritis you must watch your drinking because symptoms of drinking, such as dehydration, can make arthritis feel worse.
Also relevant to alcohol and arthritis is the fact that you should consult with your doctor about any medication you may be taking, which could be harmful when mixed with alcohol.
Tuberculosis
Active tuberculosis (TB) disease responds slowly to therapy, which is why TB patients are treated with multiple drugs for at least six months or longer, depending on their clinical response and the site of their TB disease.
Do not drink alcohol while on tuberculosis treatment to avoid increasing the harmful side effects of the drugs, particularly on the liver.
Anti-TB drugs rarely cause harm to the liver, but alcohol can further increase drug side effects and toxicity because both affect the liver. If you are a heavy alcohol user, the problems of liver damage are more likely and more serious.
While someone who drinks alcohol regularly can take TB treatment safely, there are risks. The doctor should explain this to the patient. Regular blood tests to ensure proper liver function and vigilance for side effects, such as jaundice, are important.
Cancer
Potential risks of taking alcohol while on chemotherapy include medication interactions, worsening of chemotherapy side effects, dehydration and the depressant effect of alcohol when combined with a disease that can lead to depression.
It’s important to talk to your oncologist about recommendations based on your specific situation.
There are a few larger issues to keep in mind. Several types of cancer are linked to alcohol intake, and those who have an alcohol use disorder or alcoholism should abstain.
Whether alcohol use after diagnosis may have an impact on cancer progression or survival is less well understood, and the impact of drinking with cancer may likely vary based on the type of cancer and specific treatments used.
Generally, alcohol is not safe for anyone on treatment for any illness. For healthy persons, alcohol can also be a risk factor for potential diseases and, therefore, not safe.
Dr Mwai is a consultant family physician at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi.
