Wine and Health: Drinking Taboos and Healthy Drinking Guide for People Over 60

Wine and Health: Drinking Taboos and Healthy Drinking Guide for People Over 60Wine, a significant companion in human civilization, plays an indispensable role in various cultures and social occasions. It brings joy, fuels conversations, and can also settle thoughts, leading to contemplation

Wine and Health: Drinking Taboos and Healthy Drinking Guide for People Over 60

Wine, a significant companion in human civilization, plays an indispensable role in various cultures and social occasions. It brings joy, fuels conversations, and can also settle thoughts, leading to contemplation. However, like anything else, wine has two sides. Especially for the elderly, the potential harm of alcohol to the body cannot be ignored.

I. The "Invisible Killer" of Alcohol: Potential Threats to Human Health

The charm of alcohol lies in its short-lived pleasure, but its harm to the body is cumulative and long-term, like a lurking "invisible killer," silently eroding our health.

1. Brain: the "Primary Victim" of Alcohol

The brain is the most complex organ in the human body, and alcohol has the most direct impact on it. Long-term excessive drinking can lead to brain cell damage, resulting in symptoms such as memory loss, slow reaction, and confusion, and in severe cases, it can affect cognitive ability and accelerate brain aging.

2. Liver: the "Hardest Hit Area" of Alcohol Metabolism

The liver is the body's primary detoxification organ, responsible for breaking down and metabolizing alcohol. Long-term excessive drinking will increase the burden on the liver, leading to alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and other diseases, seriously threatening life.

3. Eyes: Alcohol's "Gradual" Impact on Vision

Eye blood vessels are fragile, and alcohol can dilate blood vessels and cause damage to blood vessel walls, leading to eye redness, conjunctivitis, and decreased vision.

4. Blood Vessels: Alcohol's "Hardening" Accomplice

Alcohol can accelerate blood vessel hardening, leading to atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and other serious cardiovascular diseases, increasing the risk of stroke.

5. Fertility: Alcohol's "Negative Impact" on Fertility

Alcohol can reduce male sperm vitality and affect female ovarian function, reducing the pregnancy rate.

6. Other Organs: Alcohol's "Comprehensive Attack"

Alcohol can also damage the gastric mucosa, causing gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastrointestinal bleeding; affect the kidney's reabsorption function, causing frequent urination; affect pancreatic secretion function, harming patients with pancreatic disease even more; accelerate calcium loss in the body, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.

II. Drinking Taboos for People Over 60: 5 "Don't Drink" Principles

For the elderly, their physical functions decline, their resistance weakens, and they are more susceptible to the negative effects of alcohol. Therefore, they should be more cautious when drinking and keep in mind the following 5 "Don't Drink" principles:

1. Don't drink unknown brands of wine.

Unknown brands of wine are usually produced by small wineries or workshops, where the brewing process and raw material supervision are not strict, the quality is difficult to guarantee, and there are safety hazards, which are more likely to harm the body.

2. Don't drink loose wine.

Loose wine has not gone through strict bottling and packaging procedures, is easily polluted by the environment, and its production process lacks supervision, making the quality difficult to guarantee and posing a certain health risk.

3. Don't drink moldy wine.

Moldy wine refers to wine with mold on the surface of the bottle. These molds may be caused by the wine bottle being left in a humid environment for a long time, or they may be deliberately created by merchants to impersonate aged wine. Moldy wine is usually of poor quality and may even contain pathogens, threatening human health.

4. Don't drink medicinal wine.

Medicinal wine usually contains various Chinese medicinal herbs. Although it claims to have health benefits, its ingredients are complex, and improper consumption may react with drugs in the body, even leading to poisoning.

5. Don't drink mixed drinks.

Mixed drinks refer to drinking two or more different types of wine mixed together. This way of drinking makes it difficult to control the alcohol concentration, increases the risk of intoxication, and may also cause chemical reactions between different wine components, producing substances that are harmful to the body.

III. How to Drink Healthy After 60: A Detailed Drinking Guide

Although alcohol poses certain health risks, it may be difficult for some elderly people who are accustomed to drinking to completely quit alcohol. Therefore, it is crucial to master healthy drinking habits to minimize risks.

1. Drink in moderation: grasp the "degree" of drinking.

For adults, daily alcohol intake should be kept below 15 grams. For children, adolescents, pregnant women, and other special groups, alcohol should be completely prohibited.

2. Drink slowly: give the liver "time to decompose".

When drinking, don't drink too much or too quickly. Take your time to savor the wine, allowing the liver sufficient time to break down alcohol, reducing the burden on the liver.

3. Pair with side dishes: balanced nutrition, reduce the burden of alcohol.

When drinking, pair some side dishes rich in protein and vitamins, such as fish, meat, vegetables, and fruits, to supplement nutrition and reduce the damage of alcohol to the body.

4. Eat something before drinking: protect the stomach, slow down alcohol absorption.

Before drinking, eat some food to line your stomach, which can slow down the absorption of alcohol and reduce the irritation to the stomach.

5. Eat noodles after drinking: replenish energy, accelerate alcohol metabolism.

After drinking, you can eat some noodles, such as steamed buns, noodles, etc., which can quickly be converted into glucose, replenish energy, and accelerate alcohol metabolism.

6. Choose the best time to drink: make use of the liver's peak working hours.

It is best to drink after 2 p.m. because the liver's metabolic function is at its peak during this period, which can more effectively break down alcohol.

IV. Conclusion: Cherish Life, Drink Responsibly

Alcohol is like a double-edged sword. Drinking in moderation can bring joy, but excessive drinking can lead to health problems. Especially for the elderly, whose physical functions decline, they should pay more attention to the degree and method of drinking, avoiding the negative effects of alcohol.

Drink responsibly, live healthily, cherish life, starting from ourselves!

Reference Information Sources:

• 39 Health Website - Why you can't mix drinks

• Chu Yi - No matter how rich you are, don't buy these 4 types of drinks during the Spring Festival, insiders say: Don't even take them for free!

• Qilu Yidian - What's the difference between "loose" and "bottled" white wine? It is recommended to understand it before drinking to avoid losses.