Hard liquor contains more alcohol than beer or wine, making it more dangerous for the liver, Coleman continues. A single shot of 80-degree hard liquor contains approximately 15 grams of alcohol, and most drinks contain even more alcohol than this. Another alcoholic beverage also significantly affects the liver. If you like to drink, you might be wondering which alcoholic beverage is worse for your liver: beer or hard liquor.
Regardless of which of these beverages you consume, the alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream and passed through the liver for detoxification. However, alcohol is toxic to the liver. That means that prolonged alcohol abuse, regardless of the beverage you choose, can damage this vital organ. He specializes in digestive disorders and liver transplants for liver diseases such as liver cancer and liver failure.
Liquors have the highest concentration, but that doesn't mean they're more dangerous than beer, wine or liquor. As the liver strives to eliminate fat, scar tissue builds up, making it difficult for the liver to transport nutrients throughout the body and increasing pressure on surrounding veins. The fact is that any beverage you consume in a standard amount will have a similar effect on your system, whether it's beer, wine, liquor, or a wine cooler. In any case, the stronger flavor and higher concentration of mixed beverages have led us to assume that these beverages are the most dangerous, when in reality alcohol is alcohol, whether it comes from beer, wine, liquor or spirits.
Basically, alcohol is discriminatory, regardless of whether it comes from beer, wine or liquor. Whether you feel dependent on alcohol or not, drinking anything that exceeds the recommended “safe limit” can put your body at risk of developing fatty liver. The blood then passes through the liver for detoxification, and from there, the nutrients you consume are sent to other parts of the body. Worst of all, a binge drinker often ends up behind the wheel at the height of his drunken state, potentially endangering several lives in the process.
Although a healthy liver contains small amounts of fat, an accumulation of fat that exceeds 5% of the liver's weight can cause fatty liver disease. After 12 hours, mice given beer with hops showed less fat accumulation in their livers than mice given ethanol. Therefore, while the alcohol content of a single ounce of beer is lower than the corresponding content of an ounce of liquor, the serving size of the former is larger; beer is generally sold in 12-ounce cans. The hops found in beer not only add flavor, but may also reduce the harmful effects of alcohol on the liver, a recent study in mice suggests.
Therefore, it is essential to check drug warning labels to find out if the pills in question will cause side effects if taken with beer, wine or liquor. After all, beer, wine, and mixed beverages are known to cause liver damage and car accidents when ingested in large quantities. William Kerr, senior scientist at the Alcohol Research Group, part of the nonprofit Institute of Public Health in Emeryville, California, said that, in some countries, the consumption of strong alcoholic beverages is more closely related to death from liver disease than the consumption of beer.
