Dry wine. It’s easy for a Frenchman, but for a Russian – gastritis and ulcers?

In the modern world, gastritis is a very common disease. Many patients take it too lightly, believing that it is a minor ailment that does not require serious treatment and a special diet. In this they are deeply mistaken. You should be especially careful about drinking alcohol if you have gastritis. Some patients even decide to ignore the recommendations of doctors, believing that alcohol can be useful for this illness, as it has a disinfecting effect. It is necessary to clearly understand whether there is any truth in this statement. To do this, you need to understand what happens in the body when alcohol is in it.

Content:

1. What is alcoholic gastritis, its types and causes
2. Symptoms and clinical picture
3. Diagnosis of the disease
4. Is it possible to drink alcohol with gastritis: destroying myths
5. What alcohol can you drink if you have gastritis?
6. General recommendations and treatment

Drinking alcohol during gastritis can provoke an exacerbation . During the acute period of the disease, you must stop drinking, and during the remission stage, you must strictly control the amount you drink. If you experience pain in the epigastric region after drinking alcohol, consult a narcologist immediately.

What is alcoholic gastritis, its types and causes

The disease is an inflammation of the gastric mucosa caused by alcohol abuse. It manifests itself in the form of erosions on the mucous wall, they periodically bleed and cause discomfort.

Gastritis after alcohol occurs:

1. acute (after a single intake of a large amount of alcohol, may be accompanied by poisoning, heartburn);
2. chronic (ethanol gradually leads to pathological changes in the walls, constant inflammation).

The superficial form occurs in almost a third of patients suffering from alcoholism.

The causative agent of the pathology is the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. In the chronic stage and during the period of remission, the patient feels well, almost nothing bothers him. But ethanol that gets inside damages the walls of the mucous membrane. The severity of the burn will depend on the strength of the drink and the snack chosen (if any).

The treatment regimen for inflammation includes antibiotics, and they should absolutely not be combined with alcohol. This leads to serious complications - from vomiting to internal bleeding.

How does ethyl alcohol affect the stomach?

Ethyl (wine) alcohol is one of the most toxic products that can enter the human body orally. It is a colorless, flammable liquid belonging to the group of monohydric alcohols and used in industry as a fuel and solvent. Even a small amount of wine alcohol entering the bloodstream leads to irreversible consequences on the nervous system, since ethanol is a depressant and exhibits psychoactive properties, inhibiting the functioning of neurons and disrupting neuromuscular transmission.

Alcohol also has a negative effect on the digestive organs. Once in the stomach, ethanol, mixed with hydrochloric acid, aggressively affects the walls of the stomach and corrodes the mucous membrane that lines the organ from the inside.

If you drink alcohol regularly or drink too much alcohol, a person can develop serious complications, such as:

• the appearance of local ulcerative defects of the mucous and submucosal layer;
• stomach bleeding;
• perforation of the gastric wall and release of gastric contents into the abdominal cavity with the subsequent development of an acute inflammatory process (peritonitis);
• formation of superficial defects in the epithelial membrane without damage to muscle tissue (gastric erosion).

Note! If gastritis is complicated by a gastric or duodenal ulcer, even a single dose of alcohol can lead to perforation of the ulcer - a pathology in which the fatality rate reaches 22%.

Symptoms and clinical picture of gastritis after alcohol

The patient has:

1. Nausea and vomiting on an empty stomach. There is almost no food in the vomit; it is scanty and liquid.
2. Constant heaviness and pain in the epigastrium, a feeling of “sucking in the pit of the stomach.”
3. The feeling of fullness comes quickly after eating. The abdomen feels full.
4. Heartburn.
5. Giving up breakfast and early meals is not a desire.
6. Strange, unusual food preferences .
7. Bowel problems - constipation is more common than diarrhea.

An unusual symptom is a craving for very sweet tea. It helps patients gain a feeling of fullness with loss of appetite and slightly reduce abdominal pain.

Moreover, many unpleasant phenomena disappear after drinking a strong drink. This is a kind of “hangover for the stomach.” This is because ethanol dulls pain sensitivity. But after the person sobers up, the pain will only intensify . This is where all the myths come from that alcohol is good for gastritis, as it helps to cope with stomach pain.

Wine-acid-ulcerative-gastritis myth

It is interesting that on this issue the people and the party have always been united: I remember how in the 1990s Mikhail Gorbachev advised Leonid Parfenov , seeing that he was drinking dry wine with pleasure without wincing. It is well known that since his student years, the TV presenter has not sat down at the table without such wine, and contemptuously calls semi-sweet drinks compote.

A well-known specialist in sleep physiology, Vladimir Kovalzon, is confident that the problem is that Russians do not have an established culture of wine consumption, which is inherent in Europeans and even affected their body: “They are accustomed to drinking wine, and their enzyme system and stomach are accustomed to it. Russians often get heartburn from wine, so they don’t like natural wines. In our country they are considered sour, but in Europeans the body is adapted to this.”

De facto, we are talking about ethnic differences, and everything sour is more harmful to us than to Europeans - it is more aggressive for the mucous membrane of our stomachs. Of course, it's not like that. But since this wine-acid-ulcerative-gastritis myth is very rooted in Russia, it will not be easy to refute it. Let's see, the devil is in the details.

How can you tell if the wine is spoiled? More details

Diagnosis of the disease

To make a diagnosis, the doctor:

1. Collects complaints, questions the patient in order to get a complete picture of the onset and course of the pathology.
2. Performs endoscopic diagnostics, followed by biopsy if necessary.

Depending on the results obtained, the following may be prescribed:

• Ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs (assesses the function of the liver, pancreas, gall bladder and identifies other diseases).
• Intragastric pH-metry.
• X-ray examination - according to the doctor's decision.
• Blood, urine and stool tests.

Is it possible to drink alcohol with gastritis: destroying myths

Many myths
are spreading among ordinary people .
For example, it is believed that alcohol has the ability to overcome gastrointestinal disorders. Or as if ethanol helps to disinfect everything inside and kill pathogenic harmful bacteria. It's an illusion. Drinking only leads to an increase in the amount of hydrochloric acid and further damages the tissue in the existing lesion. When persuading people to drink alcohol if they have gastritis, they say that there will be no complications if you immediately take Enterosorbent or a drug like Omez. This is also a mistaken opinion - it does not help .

Drunkards choose high-calorie, fatty snacks and believe that the food mixes with alcohol, forms a lump and does not damage the wall. This is true, but only partly. The snack only slightly softens the effect of ethanol. After drinking a glass of vodka on an empty stomach, a person pours it onto the open wound of the damaged mucous membrane.

Sodas are more acidic than dry wine

Probably no one will argue that soda does not harm the stomach of Russians. We drink them with pleasure, and instead of heartburn, gastritis or ulcers, they cause obesity and type 2 diabetes. So their acidity is much stronger than that of dry wine. Scientifically, acidity is referred to as pH (pi-ash). For soda it is 2.3-2.6, and for wine it is 3.3-4.0. The lower the pH number, the stronger the acidity (see infographic).

Click to enlarge

And this means that if we adhere to our wine-gastritis mythology, then sweet sodas are more aggressive for the stomach. Moreover, they are much more acidic than wine - the concentration of acid in them is on average 10 times higher! Don't believe me? You should have taught chemistry at school: if the pH differs by one, as, for example, between soda with a pH of 2.5 and wine with a pH of 3.5, then this means that the concentration of acid in the sweet soda is 10 times greater. Because pH is a logarithmic scale, and on it a difference of one means a 10-fold difference.

What alcohol can you drink if you have gastritis?

Is it okay to drink alcohol if you have gastritis? Yes, but only a small amount and only during the remission stage! And this statement is not a guide to action, but an exception to the rule. It can be difficult to refuse a glass during a feast. But please remember certain rules.

1. Do not snack on very spicy , spicy, or overcooked foods.
2. Drink only good quality drinks.
3. Avoid sparkling wines , champagne, beer, energy drinks and canned cocktails. These liquids greatly increase acidity and lead to erosion.
4. Choose what kind of alcohol you can use for gastritis . You can drink 50 grams of good vodka or 200 grams of dry wine once a month. Please note that once a month.
5. You are allowed to drink high-quality unfiltered beer. But only if there is beer without preservatives from a trusted manufacturer. Dose - one glass of beer (0.5 liters) once a month. It is better to avoid filtered beer.
6. Don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach. We recommend that you eat first and drink a cheerful drink after the meal. Suitable foods for snacks are natural foods (such as eggs, ham, boiled vegetables).
7. If unfavorable symptoms occur, do not self-medicate, consult a doctor!

A little about prevention

A “glass of red” is beneficial only as a reason to observe a certain ritual. Rarely does anyone pour wine into themselves while running: the wine ritual implies good company, delicious food and the absence of urgent matters. But such circumstances in themselves contribute to relaxation, relief from the effects of stress
and the prevention of cardiovascular diseases - even without any wine. And there are polyphenols in green tea and red grapes, which can also be part of a dinner in good company.

General treatment recommendations

If there is inflammation of the stomach lining:

1. Stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
2. Follow your diet. Meals should be regular. Do not allow long breaks between meals (optimally – 5 times a day with a break of 3 hours).
3. When the disease worsens, eat fish and meat broths. Later you can add soups and liquid cereals. Steamed dishes are healthy. Avoid smoked foods, fried foods, whole milk and fresh baked goods.
4. Take food no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.
5. After eating, do not lie down in a horizontal position for an hour to avoid food reflux into the esophagus.
6. If necessary, on the recommendation of a doctor, eradicate the bacteria H. pylori .
7. To prevent breakdowns, take a course of psychotherapy .

The prognosis of the disease is favorable. Successful treatment will require the supervision of doctors of different specialties: narcologist, gastroenterologist, psychiatrist, psychologist. The help and support of loved ones is important. The main thing to remember is that a timely visit to a specialist will help you take the necessary measures and return to a healthy, fulfilling life. Take care of yourself and your health.

The most important

The myth about the benefits of moderate doses of alcohol, which appeared thanks to the French lifestyle, was not confirmed by the example of other Europeans who regularly drink red wine.
Beneficial substances – polyphenols – contained in wine can also be obtained from other, harmless sources. For example, grapes, their juice or green tea. Tags:

• Antioxidants
• Alcohol
• Brun
• Safety
• Addiction

1 comment • To leave a comment you must be an authorized user

• DragonCat About “generally accepted” - in some places in Europe (and not only) “generally accepted” is considered to be an extremely positive attitude towards homosexuals. Is this a reason to raise a child this way? Circumcision is considered generally accepted among Jews and Muslims. Is this a reason to take my son to the operating room? Not everything “generally accepted” is the ultimate truth. For example, it’s harmful to live in the city, but for some reason I don’t observe a sharp outflow of city dwellers to nature for clean air - everything is good in moderation. Of course, the uncultured consumption of alcohol substitutes is an evil similar to smoking and must be fought against. But old wine (and not only honey, for example) traditions are not only pleasant, but also useful. If not for health, then for mood, general attitude to life and cultural development in general.

Literature:

1. Diseases of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum. Clinic, diagnosis and treatment / [Trukhan D.I., Tarasova L.V., Filimonov S.N., Viktorova I.A.]. - St. Petersburg: SpetsLit, 2014. - 157 p.
2. Gastroenterology. Internal diseases: a textbook for students studying in the specialty 06010165 - General Medicine and 06010365 - Pediatrics / D. I. Trukhan, I. A. Viktorova. - St. Petersburg: SpetsLit, 2013. - 367 p.
3. Diseases of the digestive organs / O. V. Shtygasheva, N. N. Butorin, V. S. Kablukov; Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Khakass State University named after. N. F. Katanova.” — Abakan: Khakass State University named after. N. F. Katanova, 2022. - 311 p.