HS 251 - Alcohol

Alcohol Basics (3)

• 7 kcals/g

• Nonessential

• Organic (hydroxyl group - OH)

Ethanol’s Role in Alcoholic Beverages (2)

• safe for consumption (but not harmless)

• not all alcohols are safe for consumption

How is alcohol made?

Fermentation of sugars in grains & fruits by yeast

Moderate Drinking (defined by DGAs) (men vs. women)

• Amount that puts individuals & others @ low risks

  • Women: 1 drink/day

  • Men: 2 drink/day

What are standardized drink sizes (beer, wine, liquor)?

• Beer: 12 oz

• Wine: 5 oz

• Liquor: 1.5 oz

How does the body metabolize & eliminate alcohol (toxin)?

quickly

Does alcohol require digestion?

No, can be absorbed via diffusion through gastric mucosa into bloodstream

How much alcohol is absorbed in the stomach? (%)

20%

What does alcohol absorption depend on?

Amount of food in stomach & type (less contact w/ stomach lining = slower absorption)

• Foods w/ dietary fat — delay gastric emptying, slower peristalsis

• Foods w/ carbohydrate — blunt absorption speed

What is some alcohol metabolized in the stomach by? What is most alcohol metabolized by? Other pathways?

Some: Alcohol dehydrogenase

Most: liver

Can be converted to fatty acid & stored in adipocytes

Microsomal Ethanol Oxidizing System (MEOS)

2nd system used for metabolizing drugs if alcohol dehydrogenase pathway can be overwhelmed

What are the symptoms of alcohol caused by?

Byproducts of alcohol metabolism: acetaldehyde & acids

How does alcohol affect the brain? (8)

• Cerebral Cortex: Senses, judgement

• Hippocampus: memory, emotions

• Cerebellum: balance, movement

• Stem: breathing, heart rate

What are other outcomes from alcohol (short-term)?

• alcohol poisoning

• injuries & accidents

• sleep disruptions

• hangovers

Symptoms of hangover

• Acetaldehyde = toxic (nausea, headache, fatigue)

• Dehydration (diuretic properties)

• Vomiting

Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on Body (7)

• impaired digestion, absorption, metabolism

• malnutrition

• weight changes

• disrupts parathyroid hormone (related to bone health)

• liver disease

• cancer (breast, throat, gastric)

• potential for pregnancy complications

How does alcohol impair digestion, absorption, metabolism?

• inhibits secretion of pancreatic enzymes

• damage to GI tract cells

How does alcohol relate to malnutrition?

alcohol displaces other nutrients (Wenicke-Korsakoff syndrome)

Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Thiamine deficiency, results in brain effects (memory loss, loss of coordination, vision changes)

Fatty liver disease

disrupted breakdown of fatty acids, accumulation in liver (hyperlipidemia)

3 Types of Liver disease

• fatty liver

• alcoholic hepatitis

• cirrhosis

Cirrhosis

chronic inflammation causes scarring (non reversible

Complex Alcohol-Health Associations (2)

• Depression

• Cardiovascular Disease