喝酒到底有多傷身體？你一定想不到

Most people are familiar with the effects of alcohol - dry skin, brittle hair and a banging headache - but few of us give much thought to the long-term health implications.

大家都知道酒精會導致皮膚乾燥、脫髮、頭疼，但是很少有人會考慮酒精對健康的長期影響。

According to nutritionist Gabriela Peacock of GP Nutrition, excessive drinking can not only cause short-term problems like an upset stomach and a dry mouth, it can also have a devastating impact on our brain, stomach and liver.

GP營養的營養學家加布里亞說，過度飲酒不但會短期的讓胃出現問題、嘴巴幹，還會對大腦、肝臟都會有毀滅性的影響。

The liver

肝

This organ helps to detoxify the body and process any chemicals, so if its being damaged by alcohol this could have detrimental effect on our bodies, says Gabriela.

加布里亞說，肝能幫助身體排毒、處理各種化學物質，一旦被酒精損傷，對人體會造成極大損害。

'Chronic alcohol use can irreversibly damage the liver and its ability to function and increases the risk of inflammation of the liver and liver disease.

“長期飲酒會對肝及其功能造成不可逆轉的損傷，還會增加肝炎和其他肝疾病的風險。”

'Scar tissue is formed, known as cirrhosis. It is this scar tissue which can destroy the liver.'

“損傷組織一旦形成就會造成肝硬化，涉及整個肝。”

Your mind

大腦

'Long term exposure cause longer term frontal lobe damage to the brain affecting emotions, short term memory and coordination.

“長期飲酒造成長時間大腦額葉損傷，會影響情緒、短期記憶和協調能力。”

'The brain relies on a delicate balance of chemicals. Alcohol is a depressant, which means it can disrupt that balance, affecting our thoughts, feelings and actions – and sometimes our long-term mental health. '

“大腦依賴化學物質的微妙平衡，而酒精屬於抑制劑，會破壞這種平衡，影響我們思考、感覺和行動，有時候還會影響長期的精神健康。”

Sleep

睡眠

'When you drink alcohol before bed you may fall into deep sleep quicker, ' Gabriela admits. 'This is why some people find drinking alcohol helps them drop-off to sleep. 

“睡前喝酒可能會讓你更快進入深度睡眠，這也是一部分人覺得酒精助眠的原因。”

'But as the night goes on you spend more time in this deep sleep and less time than usual in the more restful, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep.

“但是隨着時間推進，你會花更多時間在深度睡眠階段，更放鬆的快速眼動期睡眠反而少了。”

'Drinking can also cause more vivid dreams and more frequent trips to the loo which can disrupt sleep.'

“飲酒也會帶來多夢，不斷起夜上廁所也都會干擾睡眠。”

Your stomach

胃

Most hangovers leave us reaching for fatty carbs, Gabriela explains: 'The metabolism of alcohol can alter blood sugar balance by depleting your storage of glycogen, or carbohydrates. Glycogen is your body's preferred source of energy.

宿醉讓我們想吃碳水化合物，加布里爾說：“酒精新陳代謝時會通過消耗儲存的糖原或碳水化合物改變血糖平衡，糖原是人體更偏愛的食物來源。”

'So after you've used up most of your available glycogen stores to metabolize all that booze, you need more. As a result, you start to feel hungry.

“所以一旦體內儲存的糖原消耗完，都被用來代謝酒精時，人就需要更多的能量，然後就會感到飢餓。”

'Since glycogen comes from carbs, you might find yourself with a particular craving for things like bread and sugar.'

“糖原來自碳水化合物，所以你可能會發現自己特別想吃麪包和糖。”

How to repair our bodies

如何修復身體

Gabriela advises to include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet when you're hungover.

加布里爾建議宿醉後對吃新鮮的水果蔬菜。

'Try adding spinach to your smoothies, make wraps with lettuce or snack on kale chips. While you should also ditch wheat, white flour, pastries, ice cream and excessive sugar.

“往果汁里加點菠菜，多吃萵筍、甘藍薯片。當然也要丟棄小麥、白麪、點心、冰淇淋和多餘的糖。”

'Hydrate too, especially if you have had one too many alcoholic drinks. Water is invaluable for flushing toxins out of the body, promoting proper waste metabolism and circulation.'

“一旦飲酒過度就要多喝水。水能排除體內的毒素，非常寶貴，還能促進廢料代謝循環。”

（翻譯：阿忙）