Health and New Year's Celebrations: Balance between Hedonism and Homeostasis Introduction: The Celebration as a Physiological and Psychological Stress New Year's celebrations represent a unique period when cultural traditions of abundant feasting, disruption of routines, and intense socialization conflict with the basic principles of maintaining homeostasis. This conflict produces a comprehensive impact on physical and mental health, which can be considered through the lens of lifestyle medicine, chronobiology, and psychology. The effect of celebrations is ambiguous: on one hand, it is psychological relaxation and social support, on the other — significant stress on key body systems. 1. Gastroenterological Challenge: The Digestive System under Excess The New Year's menu often represents a model of "food stress," characterized by: Excess of calories, fats, and simple carbohydrates. One festive meal can contain 3000-5000 calories, which is 150-250% of the daily norm. This leads to overloading of lipogenesis, sharp spikes in glucose and insulin, and an increase in triglyceride levels. Combination of incompatible products (according to A.M. Uglev): heavy animal proteins (aspic, meat) with mayonnaise salads, pickles, and alcohol disrupt the sequence of enzymatic processing, increasing digestion time to 6-8 hours, causing fermentation and putrefaction processes in the intestines. Deficiency of dietary fibers and enzymes. Traditional menus are poor in fiber, which reduces the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and promotes constipation. Interesting fact: Studies conducted in the USA and Europe show that the average weight gain during the winter holidays is not 3-5 kg, as is commonly believed, but about 0.5-1 kg. However, the problem is that this "holiday" weight tends to not go away throughout the year, accumulating for decades and increasing the risks of metabolic syndrome. 2. Cardiometabolic Risks: Alcohol, Salt, and Stress Alcohol. Episodic consumption of ... Read more