The next time you’re at an airport, you might want to think twice before indulging in a pre-flight pint.
German scientists have warned that drinking alcohol while flying could really impact your heart health.
Researchers found that the combination lowers the amount of oxygen in the blood of sleeping passengers (SpO2) and increases heart rate, even in people who are young and healthy.
But this is not the only risk to your health when drinking thousands of meters above the ground.
Experts also believe that cabin pressure can make you feel drunker than you normally would and can even accelerate intoxication.
The NHS recommends people drink no more than fourteen ‘units’ of alcohol – around six glasses of wine or pints of beer – per week. This has been diluted in recent decades in light of studies illustrating the health hazards of alcohol
Researchers found that the combination lowers the amount of oxygen in the blood of sleeping passengers (SpO2) and increases heart rate, even in people who are young and healthy. And they suggested it might even be time to consider limiting alcohol consumption on long-haul flights
Dr. Clare Morrison, a registered GP and online doctor at MedExpress, said: ‘On an aircraft, the barometric pressure in the cabin of an aircraft is lower than normal.
‘This reduced pressure means the body finds it harder to take in oxygen – this can cause light-headedness or hypoxia.
‘In other words, the lower oxygen levels in your blood mean you may appear more drunk in the air than on the ground after consuming the same amount of alcohol.’
Meanwhile, doctor Nick Knight said The Telegraph: ‘At cruising altitude, most cabins are pressurized to the equivalent of 6,000-8,000 feet above sea level.
‘Under such conditions, less oxygen is absorbed into your bloodstream than if you were at sea level.
‘The knock-on effect of this is that your brain may experience a very mild reduction in the amount of oxygen it is used to.
‘This is called ‘hypoxia’ and it is much more likely to make you feel like you are drunk.’
He added: ‘Several other factors create the perfect storm in terms of getting drunk more and faster.
‘Dehydration: people drink much less water and the filtered air in the cabin is dry.
‘An empty stomach, no one really likes airplane food. Limited exercise, so you metabolize the alcohol more slowly.
According to the UK’s flight regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the low air pressure associated with flying also effectively thins the blood and theoretically enhances the effects of alcohol.
When it comes to the type of alcohol, travelers may also want to avoid carbonated drinks such as champagne or even alcohol with carbonated mixers.
Limited research has long shown that these can increase blood alcohol content (BAC) faster than beer or cider, making you feel drunk more quickly.
A Australian study published in the American Journal of Medicine also found that participants who drank a cocktail made with diet soda containing an artificial sweetener had a peak blood alcohol level of 0.05 percent, compared to 0.03 percent without the non-diet mixer.
Scientists have suggested that this is because the sugar in regular mixers slows the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream.
Highly concentrated drinks, such as vodka or gin, are also absorbed more quickly by your body.
Leading experts have been rowing about the harms of moderate alcohol consumption for decades.
It came into the spotlight last year when WHO officials warned that no amount of alcohol is safe.
The latest data, collected by the World Health Organization and compiled by Oxford University’s Our World in Data platform, shows that British wine consumption has risen to 3.3 liters of pure alcohol per year (2019), up from 0. 3 liter that was registered almost 60 years earlier in 1961. It now accounts for over a third (33.7 percent) of all alcohol consumed nationwide and is almost on par with beer (36 percent), which has plummeted from 5.8 liters in 1961 to 3.5 liters today.
However, scientists across the board agree that excessive alcohol consumption can permanently damage the liver, cause a range of cancers and increase blood pressure.
The NHS recommends people drink no more than fourteen ‘units’ of alcohol – around six glasses of wine or pints of beer – per week.
This has been diluted in recent decades in light of studies illustrating the health hazards of alcohol.
Meanwhile, the US says women should have no more than seven standard drinks a week, while men should have 14.
These measures include a medium glass of wine and 340 ml of beer, almost a normal bottle size.
In the German study, researchers monitored the sleep cycle, heart rate and blood oxygen levels of 48 participants between the ages of 18 and 40.
The participants were divided into two groups: half slept in a laboratory under normal air pressure conditions, while the rest were in an altitude chamber that simulated cabin pressure during an aircraft’s cruising altitude.
In each group, half of these (12) slept for four hours without drinking alcohol, while the other twelve slept for four hours after drinking the equivalent of two cans of beer or two glasses of wine.
People in the sleep lab who had not drunk alcohol had an oxygen saturation level of about 96 percent and a heart rate of 64 beats per minute.
For drinkers in the simulated cabin pressure chamber, this dropped to about 85 percent and 88 beats per minute.
Those who slept in the room but did not drink had an oxygen level of 88 percent and a heart rate of 73 beats per minute, showing that alcohol had a significant impact over and above altitude effects.
Writing in the diary ThoraxResearchers said: ‘Higher doses of alcohol may enhance the observed effects, potentially increasing the risk of health complications and medical emergencies during flight, especially among older individuals and those with pre-existing medical conditions.
‘Our findings strongly suggest that the consumption of alcoholic beverages on board should be limited.’