Men's Health: In-depth Analysis of Alcohol's Damage to the Whole Body and the Risk of Sexual Dysfunction

The Impact of Alcohol on Men's Health

Alcohol is a legal drug that makes most people less vigilant. Due to social acceptance, persuasive advertising, and the stimulating effects of alcohol itself, it is widely consumed worldwide. In the excitement of clinking glasses, people forget that alcohol is a drug, indulging in it as a "delicious" treat, unaware that while they are drinking recklessly, this invisible killer is quietly and cruelly destroying our health and society.

The main harm of alcohol to the human body is the alcohol itself. The higher the alcohol content, the greater the harm. When the blood alcohol concentration reaches 50 mg% or higher, decreased attention and mental confusion occur; at 100-150 mg% or higher, it can cause intoxication, resulting in excessive talking (incoherent speech), blurred vision (unsteady gait), and dulled senses (dullness of senses, taste, and hearing). The manifestations of drunkenness vary from person to person. Some people cry, laugh, and shout, commonly known as "drunken madness." Others remain silent, fall asleep, or even become mentally confused, commonly known as "drunken delirium."

However, an alcohol concentration exceeding 300 mg% poses a fatal risk. According to French reports, nearly 40,000 people die annually due to alcoholism, a truly heartbreaking situation. Therefore, they vehemently declare alcoholism the "root of all evil." Recently, scientists in West Germany isolated lymphocytes from the blood of 208 alcoholics and found that the number of individuals with chromosomal abnormalities was more than three times higher than that of non-alcoholics. Therefore, they believe that chromosomal changes are a marker of abnormal "genetic regulation," providing important evidence that alcoholics are more prone to cancer. Sudden deaths due to drunkenness are also common in my country. Drunk driving is a major factor contributing to serious traffic accidents. Liver cancer caused by alcoholic cirrhosis is also prevalent. In fact, drunkenness is preventable. When faced with an invitation to drink that is difficult to refuse, remember the adage, "Excessive drinking harms oneself; moderation is key." Eating a small amount of fatty food before drinking can slow down alcohol absorption. After drinking, eat carbohydrate-rich foods or drink more beverages to promote alcohol excretion.

The effects of alcohol on various bodily systems:

1. Digestive System: The gastrointestinal system is the first system in the body to come into contact with and absorb alcohol. Alcohol irritates the gastrointestinal mucosa, leading to increased stomach acid and gastric bleeding; it also inhibits intestinal muscle contraction, causing symptoms such as hiccups, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. When the body is exposed to large amounts of alcohol, the liver produces an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase to break down alcohol. Because the liver is busy breaking down alcohol, other waste products cannot be broken down and accumulate in the blood, harming the body. This manifests in three ways:

① Acute fatty liver;

② Toxic hepatitis;

③ Cirrhosis. In severe cases, it can even develop into pancreatitis and liver cancer.

2. Circulatory System: Alcohol enters the bloodstream, poisoning various blood components, most commonly causing anemia, primarily due to red blood cell damage.

① Reduces iron absorption, thus affecting the bone marrow's ability to produce red blood cells, i.e., iron deficiency anemia;

② Causes the bone marrow to produce defective red blood cells, leading to megaloblastic anemia due to B12 deficiency;

③ Stomach bleeding → insufficient blood cell production → hemolysis;

④ Liver damage leading to hypersplenism.

White blood cells are the body's defense system. Alcohol weakens the motility of white blood cells, preventing them from easily reaching sites of infection. Platelets are the main clotting material in blood; alcohol reduces platelet production because it interferes with bone marrow function, where platelets are produced. Hypersplenism also damages platelets, and alcohol-damaged liver also reduces its ability to produce clotting materials. Therefore, alcoholics are prone to bleeding tendencies.

Alcohol also damages heart health in many ways. It can cause cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, premature contractions, sinus tachycardia, arteriosclerotic heart disease, and hypertension.

3. Urogenital System and Sexual Function: Alcohol's effects on the hypothalamus weaken the kidneys' ability to regulate fluid balance, leading to various urinary tract infections.

The liver plays a crucial role in balancing sex hormones; alcohol damages the liver, causing an imbalance in sex hormone ratios. In women, it may cause amenorrhea; in men, it can lead to infertility. Alcohol can reduce testosterone production; alcoholics may experience breast enlargement, hair loss, testicular atrophy, and decreased sexual function. Drinking during pregnancy can cause abnormal fetal development. Whether male or female, long-term excessive alcohol consumption can lead to sexual dysfunction. It has been reported that approximately 50% of men and 25% of women with alcohol poisoning suffer from sexual dysfunction. Chronic alcohol poisoning, especially with significant liver damage such as alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis, can lead to sexual dysfunction and impaired libido in up to 78% of men. Male sexual dysfunction manifests as decreased libido, impotence (up to 40%), and ejaculation disorders (5%–10%). Women experience difficulty achieving sexual arousal (30%–40%), loss of orgasm (15%), or a significant reduction in the frequency and intensity of orgasms, as well as varying degrees of incomplete sexual response (over 50%). Alcohol lowers blood testosterone levels, which directly affects sexual function and male secondary sexual characteristics. A decrease in testosterone leads to decreased libido, faded secondary sexual characteristics, and, due to increased estrogen, loss of facial hair and breast enlargement.

4. Endocrine System: Alcohol directly affects the pituitary gland, altering the type of hormones it secretes or weakening the ability of other glands to respond to hormonal information. Liver damage results in hormonal imbalances.

5. Nervous System: Intoxication often leads to a loss of self-control, manifesting as abnormal and unrestrained behavior, and even causing thought disorder and delirium. Long-term alcohol abuse can cause serious illnesses such as Wernicke's syndrome and Korsakov's psychosis. Neural tissue becomes malnourished due to alcohol consumption, resulting in distal neurosis. The brain is deprived of its ability to receive feedback from the body's extremities, leading to a loss of bodily coordination. Long-term drinking can cause amnesia, personality changes, tension and anxiety, nightmares, and even induce psychosis.

6. Respiratory System: Alcohol damages the body's defense system. In particular, intoxication can cause vomit to be aspirated into the lungs, often leading to pneumonia and even recurrence of tuberculosis.

7. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause malnutrition: Normally, the body obtains energy primarily from dietary fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Another energy source is alcohol (ethanol). 1g of ethanol provides 7 kilocalories of energy. If a person drinks alcohol for a long period and relies on alcohol for more than a quarter of their total energy intake, malnutrition will occur. The reasons are as follows:

① Alcohol increases the excretion of nutrients. Experiments show that alcohol has a direct toxic effect on body tissues. For example, ethanol is toxic to the gastric mucosa, preventing the intestinal mucosa from properly absorbing vitamin B1 and folic acid, causing malabsorption. Alcohol directly damages the pancreas, reducing the secretion of pancreatic enzymes, affecting the absorption of certain nutrients, such as amino acids and fats, and increasing their excretion in feces. Alcohol also has a toxic effect on the kidneys, relatively increasing the filtration of certain nutrients by the glomeruli. For example, long-term alcohol consumption increases the excretion of magnesium and zinc in urine; it can even lead to hypercalciuria. Therefore, if these nutrients are only marginally needed in the diet, a deficiency often occurs.

② Alcohol reduces nutrient storage: Alcohol has a toxic effect on human tissues, preventing damaged tissues from not only utilizing nutrients but also storing them physiologically. Practice has shown that long-term alcohol consumption can cause liver damage. Conditions such as alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis lead to decreased liver function and depletion of vitamins stored in the liver. This is because damaged liver cells undergo changes, losing their ability to store vitamins. This reduction in vitamin storage also occurs in nerve tissue and other tissues.

③ Alcohol consumption reduces nutrient utilization: After alcohol poisoning, the body loses its normal ability to utilize nutrients or its utilization rate decreases. Vitamin A deficiency has been confirmed in alcoholics with cirrhosis. The main reason is that the enzymes that metabolize vitamin A in tissues are metabolized by alcohol, affecting the normal metabolic function of vitamin A.

④ Reduced food intake and irregular eating habits: Alcohol consumption increases dietary calories, affecting appetite. Another factor affecting food intake is intoxication. The main symptoms are loss of appetite, vomiting, or diarrhea. Due to these reasons, the absolute amount of nutrients ingested from food is often insufficient, easily leading to deficiencies in certain nutrients.

In summary, the primary cause of malnutrition in alcoholics is the direct toxic effects of alcohol on various tissues of the body, leading to secondary malnutrition. Therefore, to prevent malnutrition caused by excessive drinking, it is essential to promote moderate drinking and ensure adequate intake of foods rich in the aforementioned nutrients.

8. Severe alcoholics may also experience convulsions and delirium tremens. They may feel as if spiders, bedbugs, or even rats are crawling on their skin and biting their flesh. Such hallucinations, especially in individuals with pre-existing conditions like heart disease, can be fatal due to extreme psychological terror. Generally, these severe withdrawal symptoms subside within 1-2 days (80% of cases).