Top News

In her recent video, Dr Vartika Vishwani, a Gurugram-based consultant surgical oncologist, shared a few tips that can help you reduce the effects of alcohol. “As a cancer specialist, if I ask you not to drink, you won’t listen,” she said, emphasising five things that a person must not do, no matter what.

Don’t Binge Drink

One of the first warnings that Dr Vartika Vishwani issued was to avoid binge drinking. It refers to a pattern of alcohol consumption in which you drink a lot of amount in just a couple of hours. It is often calculated as 5 or more drinks for men and 4 or more for women.

The doctor explained that it leads to the formation of acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct that forms in the liver. Why is it harmful? It is a group one carcinogen and contributes to hangovers and liver issues. If its levels are high in the body, as a result of binge drinking, it can lead to headache, vomiting, sweating, dizziness, and rapid pulse rate.

Don’t Combine Alcohol With Smoking

Next, she recommended avoiding drinking and smoking simultaneously. Neither alcohol nor smoking is good for your body, even in the slightest amount. “When you combine alcohol and smoking, the effect is not additive but multiplicative,” she added, warning her viewers.

Hence, the health risk can rise up to 21 times. You are already adding toxins to your body, especially your liver, when you are drinking-why would you want to increase the risks to your lungs?

Vaping Is Equally Dangerous

Dr Vartika Vishwani cautioned that vaping and smoking are equally dangerous. One cannot argue that they vape and not smoke. Hence, while you are drinking, the best practice would be to avoid vaping and smoking altogether.

You are there to party, have a good time, and not end up in a hospital’s emergency ward, worrying not just yourself but your loved ones and family members.

Don’t Drink Empty Stomach

Drinking on an empty stomach is the worst thing you can do to your body. Ask “risk-taking” or “adventurous” boomers and millennials who will start their stories with “back in the day.” They have experimented so much, while boasting about their “high capacity” to drink alcohol, that they could write a book on what not to do while drinking.

If you think that their advice is “not good enough,” listen to a cancer specialist. “The more you drink on an empty stomach, the more your body will absorb the alcohol. It will increase the chances of damage,” the doctor explained.

Don’t Mix Your Drinks

Many people think that mixing drinks leads to a hangover, but it’s only partially true. Usually, when you mix two different spirits, you don’t take into account the amount of alcohol in them. As a result, most people end up consuming more alcohol than they set out to, which leads to more production of acetaldehyde; hence, the hangover the next morning.

As the doctor mentioned before, acetaldehyde is a Group 1 carcinogen. So, it’s not just the hangover; your body will be subjected to more toxins, the effects of which you may not fully comprehend.

You should party and have fun, but make sure that you keep your alcohol consumption limited.