Is drinking a lot of beer in summer harmful to the liver?

Many people like to drink beer on hot days because of the cool feeling. However, this drink can harm health, especially liver function.

Beer contains alcohol (ethanol), with main ingredients including water (80-90%), barley, hops, yeast, additives, and flavoring agents. Initially, alcohol entering the body is converted into acetaldehyde – a strong oxidizing substance. Under the effect of the ALDH2 enzyme, this substance is converted to a less toxic form in the liver for elimination.

However, the liver is only capable of eliminating about 10 grams of alcohol per hour. When drinking beer excessively, the amount of alcohol in the blood increases, causing the liver to work continuously to eliminate toxins, leading to overload. Excess acetaldehyde accumulates over time, causing liver cell damage, impaired liver function, increasing the risk of fatty liver, hepatitis, liver fibrosis, and even cancer.

About 90% of alcohol after drinking is metabolized in the liver, the rest is excreted through breath, urine and sweat. According to recommendations, adults can tolerate a maximum of 40 g of alcohol/day. It is best to limit alcohol to less than 20 g/day/person, which means you should only drink about 300 ml of beer/day – one can of beer.

Liver damage often progresses silently, with few obvious symptoms in the early stages. Most symptoms appear when some functions of this organ have stopped. At this time, the body always feels tired, has anorexia, jaundice, bruises, gets sick easily… People with diabetes, overweight, obesity, or metabolic disorders are at higher risk of getting the disease.

The best drink for the human body is filtered water. Therefore, to effectively cool down, each person needs to drink enough water about 1.5-2 liters/day. You can add appropriate electrolyte drinks when outdoors in the sun, exercising intensely or sweating a lot.

To improve your health, you need to limit your beer intake to reduce the amount of alcohol in your body and give your liver time to rest and recover. At the same time, build a scientific nutritional regimen combined with a healthy lifestyle.

Daily diets should prioritize fresh foods, whole grains and protein from lean meat and fish. Limit foods high in carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, processed foods, and spices. Maintain a reasonable weight, regularly exercise to improve resistance, and reduce body fat, including liver fat. Getting enough sleep and staying mentally relaxed also contribute to effective health protection.

People who regularly drink alcohol should have regular health checks twice a year. The doctor will assess the level of liver damage, thereby advising on appropriate nutrition, lifestyle, and treatment. Adding natural active ingredients such as s.marianum and wasabia kaponica helps enhance detoxification ability, lower liver enzymes, and contributes to reducing damage caused by alcohol.