Dr. Sarah Wakeman

Yeah, well, remember I said ethanol, which is the molecule, crosses the blood-brain barrier. And so especially when you're having these high levels of blood alcohol, that ethanol is sort of bathing your brain. And if you think about what we talked about, inflammation and changes to cells and to DNA and proteins, that is happening at the brain level.

Yeah, well, remember I said ethanol, which is the molecule, crosses the blood-brain barrier. And so especially when you're having these high levels of blood alcohol, that ethanol is sort of bathing your brain. And if you think about what we talked about, inflammation and changes to cells and to DNA and proteins, that is happening at the brain level.

The other thing that can accelerate the brain damage we see with alcohol is actually nutritional deficiencies. So people may be drinking a lot, and they're actually not getting really crucial nutrients in their diet. And that can accelerate the process of brain damage.

The other thing that can accelerate the brain damage we see with alcohol is actually nutritional deficiencies. So people may be drinking a lot, and they're actually not getting really crucial nutrients in their diet. And that can accelerate the process of brain damage.

We can even see a very like sudden onset amnesia from heavy alcohol use in the setting of not getting enough nutrients in your diet.

We can even see a very like sudden onset amnesia from heavy alcohol use in the setting of not getting enough nutrients in your diet.

That's the brain. So the brain, for sure. The next is the mouth and your esophagus. So obviously, you're drinking alcohol. It's bathing your mouth. It's bathing your esophagus and your stomach. So we do see an increase in cancer, like we talked about, and that's accelerated by smoking. But we also see benign but annoying and problematic health conditions, most notably acid reflux, so heartburn.

That's the brain. So the brain, for sure. The next is the mouth and your esophagus. So obviously, you're drinking alcohol. It's bathing your mouth. It's bathing your esophagus and your stomach. So we do see an increase in cancer, like we talked about, and that's accelerated by smoking. But we also see benign but annoying and problematic health conditions, most notably acid reflux, so heartburn.

So if you notice, like, I'm always having heartburn. I'm having to pop all these antacids and take this medicine. you might want to think, like, how much am I drinking? Is that contributing to my heartburn? So that's a very common thing. The heart is affected by alcohol. So, you know, the heart is an organ where at low risk levels, there doesn't seem to be harm from alcohol.

So if you notice, like, I'm always having heartburn. I'm having to pop all these antacids and take this medicine. you might want to think, like, how much am I drinking? Is that contributing to my heartburn? So that's a very common thing. The heart is affected by alcohol. So, you know, the heart is an organ where at low risk levels, there doesn't seem to be harm from alcohol.

But once you get into the moderate and high, we see harms. And the harms can be A couple folds. One is something called atrial fibrillation, which is basically where your heart starts beating really irregularly. So in your heart, there's four chambers, the two chambers at the top. So this is really showing the ventricles and the atrium. So there's two chambers that blood flows through.

But once you get into the moderate and high, we see harms. And the harms can be A couple folds. One is something called atrial fibrillation, which is basically where your heart starts beating really irregularly. So in your heart, there's four chambers, the two chambers at the top. So this is really showing the ventricles and the atrium. So there's two chambers that blood flows through.

And in a normal heart, your electrical activity comes from the top of your heart, goes down to the bottom of your heart, and tells the heart to pump. And so you get a single impulse that goes to the bottom of the heart, says pump, and that pumps blood out to your brain and your body and your organs and your liver. Right.

And in a normal heart, your electrical activity comes from the top of your heart, goes down to the bottom of your heart, and tells the heart to pump. And so you get a single impulse that goes to the bottom of the heart, says pump, and that pumps blood out to your brain and your body and your organs and your liver. Right.

In atrial fibrillation, the top of the heart is just kind of quivering with this abnormal electrical activity, and so the heart can't pump in a normal way. There's a term in medicine called holiday heart because we see sometimes people drink a ton over the holidays and will end up in this abnormal rhythm just from that binge drinking pattern.

In atrial fibrillation, the top of the heart is just kind of quivering with this abnormal electrical activity, and so the heart can't pump in a normal way. There's a term in medicine called holiday heart because we see sometimes people drink a ton over the holidays and will end up in this abnormal rhythm just from that binge drinking pattern.

And then over time, if you're drinking at high levels, your heart actually dilates, and you can end up with congestive heart failure from a cardiomyopathy, which means the heart muscle gets kind of weak and thin and floppy and can't pump the way that it needs to.

And then over time, if you're drinking at high levels, your heart actually dilates, and you can end up with congestive heart failure from a cardiomyopathy, which means the heart muscle gets kind of weak and thin and floppy and can't pump the way that it needs to.

Yeah, because they have less body water, and alcohol doesn't go into your body fat. So essentially, it's like if you took a glass of water and you dropped red dye in it, you're going to diffuse into that water. So the more water you have, the more diffuse it'll be and the lower your blood alcohol content. So if you have very low body fat, you probably have more body water.

Yeah, because they have less body water, and alcohol doesn't go into your body fat. So essentially, it's like if you took a glass of water and you dropped red dye in it, you're going to diffuse into that water. So the more water you have, the more diffuse it'll be and the lower your blood alcohol content. So if you have very low body fat, you probably have more body water.