Health risks of drinking

Published by Bupa’s Health Information Team, November 2010.

The immediate harmful effects of drinking alcohol are usually obvious. However, if you regularly drink too much alcohol, you can be putting your long-term health at risk. There can be hidden harmful effects of drinking alcohol that may not become apparent until years later.

This article examines the long-term health risks of drinking.

How alcohol affects the body long term

A Flash plug-in is required to view this animation.

Alcohol and cancer

Drinking as little as three units of alcohol a day increases your risk of developing many types of cancer including cancers of the mouth, throat, oesophagus (the pipe that goes from your mouth to your stomach), liver, breast and bowel.

Key facts

• Each year, alcohol is responsible for at least 9,000 cancer deaths in the UK.
• If you smoke and drink, you’re 50 times more likely to get some types of cancer than someone who never smokes or drinks alcohol.
• All types of alcoholic drinks increase the risk of cancer, even red wine.

Alcohol, the heart and circulation

Regularly drinking too much alcohol damages your heart muscles and increases your risk of developing heart disease and stroke.

Key facts

• Men who regularly drink more than eight units of alcohol a day double their risk of heart disease and are four times more likely to have high blood pressure.
• Women who regularly drink more than six units of alcohol a day are also slightly more likely to develop heart disease and double their risk of high blood pressure.

Alcohol and your liver

Alcohol damages your liver. Your liver is the largest organ in your body, and one of its many functions is to filter and clean your blood. It takes about one hour for your liver to break down one unit of alcohol. If you regularly drink too much alcohol, you are at risk of developing a range of alcoholic liver diseases including fatty liver disease, hepatitis and cirrhosis. If you have liver cirrhosis, you’re more likely to develop liver cancer.

Key facts

• One in three adults in the UK drinks enough alcohol to be at risk of developing alcohol-related liver disease.
• The process is silent, but when liver disease has developed, the symptoms come on suddenly and it can be life-threatening.
• In 2007, 4,580 people died in England and Wales from alcohol-related liver disease.
• Deaths from liver disease have risen sharply in young adults aged 25 to 34 in the last 10 years as a result of heavy drinking.

Alcohol and diabetes

Alcohol damages your pancreas. Your pancreas produces insulin, which helps control blood sugar levels and enzymes, which help to break down fatty food. If you regularly drink too much alcohol, it can lead to chronic pancreatitis (when your pancreas is damaged beyond repair). One in three people who have chronic pancreatitis will develop diabetes.

Alcohol, sex and reproduction

Regularly drinking more than the daily recommended units is known to affect fertility. In women, alcohol disrupts menstrual cycles and makes it harder to conceive. In men, alcohol reduces testosterone levels and this can cause loss of sexual desire and affect sperm production. Alcohol also affects the nervous system, making it difficult for men to achieve or maintain an erection.

Alcohol and your mental health

Drinking heavily over a long time can affect your mental health. It can increase anxiety and cause depression, memory loss and dementia.

If you stick to the recommended guidelines (no more than three to four units a day for men and no more than two or three units a day for women), you’re less likely to have serious health problems in later life. For more information see sensible drinking.

For sources and links to further information, see Resources.