For many, the long-awaited holiday of the New Year ends in different ways. Someone in the morning unpacks gifts, and someone goes to the hospital. What are the health risks of this long-awaited feast? AiF-Petersburg asked about this from the general practitioner, family medicine, a member of the Association of Family Physicians of the North-West Region, Alexey Belov.
- Are there any estimates of how many kilocalories he receives on average during a traditional (for our country) New Year's meal? How much does this amount exceed the one-time consumption rate?
- The "cost" of a New Year's feast is on average 7000 calories. And that's more than double the RDA recommended by nutritionists for men and women. So, in three pieces of fried chicken - about 300 calories, in a medium portion of "Olivier" with sausage - almost 400 calories, in a glass of champagne - 220 calories, and in a glass of sweet liqueur - 600-650 calories. It is easy to calculate that on New Year's Eve, the digestive organs experience a double load.
- How to prepare yourself for the holiday? Should you starve the day before?
- Fasting for the body, as a method of preparing for the New Year's feast, is also stress, which leads to disruption of the harmonious work of organ systems. If you starve for several days and overeat on New Year's Eve, the body will perceive this as double stress.
Therefore, it is better not to change the usual diet, but to increase the body's energy consumption, for example, by visiting the gym or swimming pool, on the contrary, it is necessary.
- Nobody wants to start the year from a hospital bed. How to protect yourself from this?
- The intensity of life in December increases, which leads to psycho-emotional overstrain, dystonia and overwork. And the risk of a threat to health increases significantly. Since January 1, I have received calls from patients complaining of acute conditions such as inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), acute cholecystitis or exacerbation of other chronic diseases.
New Year's injuries also do not disappear anywhere. Incorrectly fired fireworks and ice on the street radically change the holiday plans of hundreds of people.
- Many people joke that the New Year is a powerful blow to the liver. What is more harmful for her - excessive alcohol consumption or overeating?
- Both. The liver is the main biochemical laboratory of our body. Excessive amount of alcohol leads to damage to liver cells - hepatocytes. This can cause acute toxic hepatitis, and prolonged celebrations lead to cirrhosis of the liver. In turn, when overeating, an excess amount of fat is supplied, which accumulates in the liver - fatty hepatosis or "obesity" of the liver.
Therefore, try to observe the measure in the feasts. And then the New Year holidays will pass without significant consequences for the liver and the body as a whole.
- And what is this measure? How much and what kind of drinks can you afford at the festive table without harm to health?
- There is no such thing as absolutely harmless alcohol. The permissible dose, which does not cause severe harm to health, is 100 ml of pure alcohol. But not at once, but a week. In terms of alcoholic drinks, this is about five mugs of beer with a low degree. Or a little more than a bottle of wine at 14 percent. Or 200 grams of vodka.
- Does the rule of "increasing the degree" of alcohol apply during the meal? How harmful is it to mix different alcoholic beverages?
- It is best to decide even before the feast with the type of alcoholic drink and not change it. If this does not work out, then you really need to adhere to this rule. With an increase in the degree, special receptors that neutralize the effect of alcohol increase their effect and the body continues to cope with the negative effects of alcohol at least minimally. In the case of a decrease in the strength of alcoholic beverages, the receptors do not react to what is drunk, as to alcohol, which poison the body, therefore poisoning occurs faster and causes much more harm to the body. Therefore, I do not recommend mixing alcoholic beverages.
You should not combine champagne with dishes that include eggs - mimosa salads, Russian salad, herring under a fur coat, eggs with red caviar. Vodka is better suited to this classic of Russian cuisine.
- How would you advise to deal with a hangover?
- Depends on the severity of this condition. The next morning, after a merry New Year's Eve, accompanied by the use of alcohol, a product of the breakdown of alcohol, acetaldehyde, is formed in the body. It is he who causes the hangover. There is an opinion that it is better to remove a hangover by taking a new portion of alcohol. This is not true. Drink plenty of lemon water to help reduce toxicity. Alcohol lowers blood sugar, so having a sweet tea breakfast will also make you feel better.
To avoid alcohol poisoning, you need to drink slowly, taking breaks. Take part in contests and quizzes, dance. Physical activity will speed up the metabolism of alcohol and help prevent poisoning.