It's hard to imagine a gin drink without a tonic. However, lovers of the latter must be careful. Specialists have long warned that the tonic can be dangerous to health. They claim that this popular drink contains substances that are harmful to the human body.
What are these substances? I'm talking about quinine. This organic chemical has unfavorable health properties. So should we stop drinking tonic, which after all boasts quite a lot of this ingredient? Let's try to answer this important question.
Quinine - a bitter poison
Apparently, even small amounts of quinine have an adverse effect on the human body. Higher concentrations of this substance can cause ailments such as nystagmus or balance disorders. Overuse of quinine can lead to chronic poisoning. If you overdose, you could develop a syndrome called cinchonism, which severely affects your basic senses such as vision, hearing and balance. Due to the content of quinine in the tonic, this drink is not recommended for pregnant women, drivers or machine operators.
Adverse effects of quinine
This compound affects the functioning of practically the entire organism. A higher dose of quinine can cause:
- reduction of metabolism,
- stimulating the secretion of digestive juices,
- inhibition of the activity of oxidative enzymes,
- dilation of blood vessels in the skin,
- slowing down the conduction of stimuli in the heart muscle,
- smooth muscle spasms,
- increased sweat production.
The beneficial effects of quinine
However, the disadvantages of the described substance are only one side of the coin. It is impossible not to mention the positive effect of the key ingredient of the tonic. As it effectively destroys malarial germs, quinine has found its use in the treatment of malaria. Like most medications that are consumed on a daily basis, quinine also has its pros and cons. This substance has an analgesic and antipyretic effect.
In addition to medicine, it has also found its application as a flavor in the food industry. It is she who contributes to the bitter taste of the tonic. The favorite drink would not be so popular if it were not for this characteristic note on the tongue. So what to do? Do you keep drinking it?
Common sense
The top-down adopted maximum quinine content in a drink intended for consumption is about 7.5 mg / 100 ml. The concentration at this level guarantees the consumption of a safe dose of the substance, even after drinking more tonic. Lethal quinine levels are around 10-15 grams. A 1.5-liter bottle of this bitter drink contains no more than a gram. So it is impossible to consume a lethal amount of quinine through tonic drinks, because then you would have to drink more than 15 liters of liquid at a time - glass after glass.
It must be admitted that the concentration of quinine in the tonic is relatively low, and certainly not fatal or even very dangerous to health. We should also remember that alcohol consumed in large amounts is harmful, and yet people consume it without fear. According to statistics and the opinion of specialists, excessive consumption of high-percentage drinks carries an even longer list of complications and ailments than drinking drinks with quinine. So before you panic, it's worth finding out the difference between overuse and moderate consumption. There is a known case of fatal beta carotene poisoning due to excessive consumption of the healthy vegetable, which is carrot. Therefore, drinking tonic is not as harmful as it may seem.