With this disruption of small intestine functioning, there are changes to food processing time, which delays emptying of the stomach. This usually makes you feel fuller longer. Also, the small intestine decreases its muscle movements that helps retain the food for further digestion. There’s a decrease in water and sodium absorption, malabsorption of fat and protein, and reduced absorption of carbs.
An estimated 50 percent of all alcoholics are in the initial stage of liver damage, fatty liver; 30 to 80 percent of patients with advanced liver injury have symptoms of abdominal complaints.
Alcohol, like it's equally unhealthy cousin smoking, is associated with mouth, larynx, tongue, and pharynx cancers. Stronger spirits are also associated with esophageal cancer. Heavy boozing is linked to tumors in the colon or rectum. There is also a higher risk of rectal cancer than colon cancer. This risk is associated with heavy beer drinking rather than hard spirits.
Heart Disease
Researchers calculate that alcohol accounts for about 3.5 percent of all U.S. cancer deaths or about 20,000 a year. Men between the ages of 35 and 50 have the highest alcohol-caused cardiomyopathy, or heart problems, than any other group. And binge drinking, which people tend to associate with young, inexperienced drinkers and college students, can lead to heart arrhythmias.
Also happening with the cardiomyopathy heart is that it is weakened and the heart muscle tissue is thinned. The damaged heart muscle can’t pump enough blood to supply the rest of the body. Because of an increase in pressure and volume, the left ventricle enlarges when the heart can’t pump out all the blood from that chamber. Blood pressure overall increases to make up for reduced heart-pumping production. Eventually, the heart muscle, valves or blood vessels may fail.
Symptoms include swelling of the legs; enlarged liver; pink, frothy mucus when coughing; dizziness; rapid irregular heartbeat; weakness, and shortness of breath. This can lead to congestive heart failure and death.