Alcohol is an intoxicating drink. Although many studies show the dangers of alcoholic beverages, there are still many people who consume it as a stress reliever. Not only intoxicating, if you consume this drink in large quantities, it can affect the way your hormones work in your body.

As we know, hormones have an important role in maintaining your health and bodily functions so that they can run normally. Hormones are substances that carry messages to control and coordinate body tissues and organs. Thus, when hormones are disturbed the balance in the body is also disturbed.

Consuming alcohol can affect health in various ways, depending on the age and health of each drinker. For example, people in their 40s cannot consume the same amount of alcohol as healthy people in their 20s. A study showed that at the age of 40-50 years people will experience hormonal system disorders even if they drink alcohol only once per day.

Disorders caused by consuming alcohol can attack both men and women. According to research published in the Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research Journal, alcohol can cause a drop in progesterone levels and a spike in estrogen in premenopausal women. If women experience a decrease in progesterone, it will make it difficult for them to get pregnant or give birth to their “maximum” age.

For men, drinking two to three beers can lead to a reduction in male hormone levels. Reduced levels of this hormone are due to chemicals contained in alcoholic beverages This reduction causes an increase in estrogen levels that trigger a decrease in testosterone levels.

When hormones are disrupted due to excessive alcohol consumption, there are several disorders such as blood sugar instability, impaired reproductive function, and other disorders.

This article will take a deeper look at some of the disorders caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

The Effect of Alcohol on How Hormones Work:

1. Unstable Blood Sugar
   Alcohol can affect the stability of blood sugar and glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy for all body tissues. Our bodies get glucose from food we consume where the body will synthesize from the food in our body.
   
   Blood sugar levels in the body are controlled by two hormones: insulin and glucagon. Insulin functions to lower glucose, while glucagon functions to increase glucose. These two hormones also work together to regulate the concentration of glucose in the blood.
   
   Alcohol itself affects how the adrenal and pituitary glands work to release glucagon to regulate sugar levels in the body; however, when glucagon is not able to measure sugar in the body properly it will cause the person to faint and experience brain damage.
   
   
2. Affects the Reproductive System
   In addition to affecting glucagon, alcohol can also affect the workings of reproductive hormones, such as androgens in men and estrogen in women.
   
   Androgen disorders will cause several symptoms such as decreased testosterone levels, enlarged breasts in men, impaired sexual reproductive function, and changes in sperm structure. Meanwhile, disturbances in the workings of estrogen in women will cause disturbances such as inhibition of the menstrual cycle, miscarriage in pregnant women, early menopause, and menstrual cycle without ovulation.
   
   
3. Osteoporosis Risk
   Consuming excessive alcohol between 59 to 88 ml per day can affect calcium levels, resulting in the risk of osteoporosis. Calcium itself is one of the nutrients needed by the body to form strong bones.
   
   Consuming alcohol in excess can also interfere with how the pancreas works by absorbing calcium and vitamin D. In addition, alcohol can also affect how the liver works. Tthe liver is an organ that functions to activate vitamin D to absorb calcium in the body.
   
   Thus, drinking large amounts of alcohol will cause fractures, and the bones will find it difficult to repair themselves quickly. In addition, the bones will also be damaged due to alcohol consumption.
   
   
4. Increase Cortisol
   Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are hormone-producing glands located above the kidneys. A study shows that drinking alcohol can affect cortisol. This effect will occur when alcohol is consumed and after. This effect can also cause intoxication.
   
   Alcohol can also cause an increase in cortisol as well as an increase in blood pressure. This is certainly dangerous considering that cortisol plays an important role in immune regulation, cognitive level, and emotional disorders.

Those are some hormonal disorders that occur due to excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol can cause a person to be unable to think properly and make decisions, making them prone to accidents or other incidents.

If you consume alcohol often, you should check your health with a doctor to prevent any unwanted diseases. Morever, Drinking Coffee on can impact negatively on Hormonal Health. 

More articles about hormones on Nona Woman:

• Recognize the signs of hormonal imbalance in your body
• The effects of stress on your hormones
• Hormones affect every part of your life!
• The Dangers of Drinking Coffee on Hormonal Health
• What is the Ideal Sleeping Position?

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