Alcohol Flashcards
what is alcohol made of
mostly made of carbohydrates
what constitutes a drink
beer - 341 mL (5%)
cider/cooler - 341 mL (5%)
wine - 142 mL (12%)
distilled alc - 43mL (40%)
how is alcohol absorbed
rapidly via simple diffusion (no transporters)
wine - hard liquor - beer (slowest)
where is alcohol found in the body
wherever water is found
- breath, in muscles, urine, etc
what does alcohol do to the cell membrane
easily moves through it and damages it
what does alcohol metabolism depend on
sex, ethnicity, size, food, physical condition, alc content
what is it metabolized by
liver - some is metabolized in stomach
has priority !!
can alc be stored in the body
no
what system in the liver is found in excessive drinkers
MEOS - microsomal ethanol oxidizing system
(importance increases with alc intake)
genetic factors of metabolism
variations of ADH and ALDH
effect of a fast ADH and slow ALDH
build up of acetaldehyde
-facial flushing
-nausea
-rapid heart beat
benefits of 1-2 drinks a day (moderate intake) (5)
increase HDL
decrease chronic inflammation
improves body use of insulin and glucagon
improves cognitive function
phytochemical content
physiological negatives of alc intake (6)
high blood pressure
stroke
dementia
throat, stomach, bladder cancer
CNS disorders
vitamin/mineral deficiencies
how much alc can females metabolize compared to males
10% compared to men’s 30%
-less ADH in the stomach cells
2 reasons why alc affects females more than males
less body water to dilute alc
fluctuations in hormones affects metabolism
effects of drinking on females
larger portion of alc reaches and remains in bloodstream
develop alc-related ailments faster than men
how much alc can people metabolize generally
5-7g/hr (1 1/2 12oz beer, 5oz glass of wine, 1.5oz shot)
what does alc metabolism depend on
genetics (enzymes, liver size), body mass, amt of alc, nutrition
what is a hangover
dehydration of the brain
how does formaldehyde affect hangovers
body produces methanol during metabolism when consuming ethanol (alc)
- process forms formaldehyde which causes hangover symptoms
what cures a hangover
time!
affects of alc combined with tobacco
increased risk for esophageal and oral cancer
alc abuse increased risks
heart damage, arrythmia, hypertension, stroke, hypoglycemia, cancer, brain damage, etc
effects of alc on brain
speed up brain cell loss and impair brain/nerve function
effects of alc on heart
high blood pressure, scar tissue formation in heart - leads to heart failure
effects of alc on liver
fatty and enlarged - cirrhosis
effects of alc on stomach and pancreas
inflammation, pain, bleeding, organ failure, death
effects of alc on esophagus
toxic to cells lining esophagus - cancer
what is cirrhosis
fatty infiltration of the liver
effects of cirrhosis (5)
increased synthesis of fat
enlarged fat cells: choke of nutrient and O2 supply to liver cells, engorged fat cells burst and die
50% chance of death in next 4 years
advanced stages are irreversible
destruction of vital tissues
limits on moderate drinking
10 drinks or less per week (max 2 drinks/day) - women
15 drinks or less per week (max 3 drinks/day) - men
effects of moderate drinking (4)
reduce stress/anxiety
improve apetite which can benefit elderly people
lower risk of dementia/CVD/abnormal blood clots
resveratrol may reduce risk of some chronic diseases but amt in wine is negligible
risks of moderate drinking
women - higher risk of breast cancer
higher rates of bleeding in brain
weight management
increase food intake
drug-alc interaction
typical behaviours of moderate drinkers
drink slowly
eat food
don’t binge
respect non-drinkers
remain peaceful/unchanged
cause no problem
typical behaviours of problem drinkers
gulp/chug
empty stomach
binge drink
pressure others to drink
become loud, angry, violent
harm themselves or others
cause of a black out
caused by disruption of activity in hippocampus
interferes with transfer of knowledge btwn long and short term memory
how much alc do adolescents drink
20% of consumption in CAN is by underage drinkers
avg age to start drinking
14 years
effects of alc dependence
loss of productivity
premature death
tretment expenses
legal fees
medical expenses
(affects 13% of north america)
genetic influence on alc dependence
tolerance
children of alcoholics - 4X more likely to become one too
nutrient deficiencies in alcoholics
thiamin (impairs brain use of glucose), nicain (used in alc metabolism), B12, A, C, D, folate
memory syndrome caused by alc
korsakoff’s syndrome (damage to short term memory)
what are delirium tremens caused by
thiamin deficiency
how are depression and alc linked
more symptoms of depression = alc intake
self medication - alc releases serotonin and dopamine while being a depressant
what is binge drinking
4-5 drinks in 2 hours
(acute alc intoxication)
% of students who binge drink
50%
effects of binge drinking
death, accidents, unsafe sex, assault, destruction of property, injury, suicide, academic problems
how to diagnose alc dependence (6)
physiological dependence, high tolerance, alc-associated illness, depression/black outs, flushed face/red skin, continued drinking despite medical and social contradictions
