Home / Health / Cardiologist Warns: Save Up Drinks, Pay Dearly
Cardiologist Warns: Save Up Drinks, Pay Dearly
15 Aug
Summary
- Saving alcohol for weekends severely harms heart and liver.
- Binge drinking spikes blood alcohol, increasing heart strain.
- Permanent organ damage and rhythm disturbances are risks.
Abstaining from alcohol during the week to indulge on weekends poses significant health risks, according to a cardiologist. This practice can lead to severe, unexpected costs for the heart and liver due to concentrated spikes in alcohol consumption.
Dr. Ajit Menon, director of cardiology at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai, explained that weekend binge drinking, defined as 4-5 drinks in one sitting, dramatically alters the body's chemistry. Sharp increases in blood alcohol levels trigger greater oxidative stress, inflammation, liver toxicity, and cardiovascular strain. Such spikes can destabilize heart rhythm, leading to conditions like atrial fibrillation and sudden increases in blood pressure, along with elevated risks of heart attack and stroke.
Over time, heavy episodic drinking can result in permanent physical changes to organs. The heart muscle may weaken, leading to compromised pumping efficiency (cardiomyopathy), and the liver can develop fatty liver disease or cirrhosis. Dr. Menon advises against 'saving up' drinks, emphasizing that consuming weekly totals over one or two nights creates toxic spikes the body struggles to process.
