The weather is cold, and down jackets and thick coats are a common sight on the streets. In restaurants and eateries, the practice of having a drink while dining is also becoming more and more common. It's often heard that someone will say, "Have a drink, it can warm you up and prevent the cold!" The saying "The more you drink, the hotter you get; the more you drink water, the colder you get" is a long-standing saying and concept. However, what people don't realize is that drinking alcohol in winter not only fails to have the effect of warming the body, but on the contrary, it makes you feel colder as you drink more, which in turn can lead to some physical problems.
Why does drinking alcohol make you colder,
Why is this the case
People all have this experience: the higher the alcohol content, the hotter the body feels after drinking. We will mistakenly think that the alcohol itself contains a lot of heat. In fact, the main components of alcohol are alcohol and water. As for water, there's no need to say more. The heat contained in alcohol itself is also extremely limited. According to measurements, each gram of ethanol can release about 7000 calories of heat in the human body. If a person drinks a small amount of Baijiu (about 50 grams), the heat it releases is equivalent to only that produced by 25 grams of oil or 50 grams of sugar. It can be seen that the effect of this heat on the human body's temperature is negligible.
How does the feeling of warmth from drinking alcohol come about,
How is it produced
After alcohol enters the body, its absorption and metabolism begin. Alcohol itself and its metabolites, such as acetaldehyde, have the effect of dilating blood vessels, which causes the capillaries in the skin to dilate and blood circulation to speed up. This in turn causes the body's heat to dissipate more quickly to the surface of the body, making a person feel warm. In addition, alcohol and its metabolites also have a certain anesthetic effect on the central nervous system, which reduces the skin's sensitivity to external temperatures.
However, it is worth noting that this loss of internal heat is only a short-term process. In other words, the "warmth" after drinking is a temporary phenomenon. Before long, the drinker will feel an extra chill. This is because the body's heat is being lost, so it's not surprising that the more you drink, the colder you feel.
At the same time, this so-called "post-drinking cold" makes a person more susceptible to catching a cold or getting frostbite. It is especially important to remind that relying on alcohol to keep warm is particularly detrimental to the elderly. The elderly are already not very sensitive to changes in body temperature. If drinking causes a disorder in the body's temperature regulation center, it is more likely to damage its temperature adjustment function.
In fact, drinking a small amount of alcohol in winter is beneficial to the body, as it can help to relax muscles and activate blood circulation, whet the appetite, and promote the production of body fluids. However, using alcohol to keep warm is not advisable. In addition, one should be more cautious when drinking in winter. According to epidemiological surveys and studies, bleeding diseases induced by alcohol consumption in winter are more than ten times higher than in summer. These diseases include cerebral hemorrhage, gastric bleeding, etc., and myocardial infarction is also more common during this season. The stimulation from alcohol can increase the likelihood and severity of these diseases.
So, what should you eat to keep warm
Actually, for keeping warm, two main factors should be considered. On the one hand, you should eat nutritious, high-calorie foods to help the body generate heat. On the other hand, you should strengthen your insulation and get more physical exercise. The second aspect goes without saying, but for the first one, there are many foods to choose from to keep warm.
For example, in winter, consuming and drinking more foods high in vitamins can help improve the body's cold resistance. These foods include animal liver, carrots, pumpkins, etc., which are rich in vitamin A; fresh rice and flour, coarse grains, etc., which are rich in B vitamins; and fresh vegetables and fruits, which are rich in vitamin C. In addition, some studies have also shown that eating more foods high in iron in winter can also help keep warm. These foods include animal liver, beef and mutton, spinach, egg yolks, etc.