Midterm 1 - Lecture 9

Question 1

Define Binge drinking

Answer 1

4 or more drinks for women and 5 or more for men in 2 hrs. Can lead to acute alcohol intoxication and death.

Question 2

How is alcohol absorbed in the body?

Answer 2

• Alcohol is absorbed in stomach (20%) & small intestine (80%) directly into blood stream (no transporters needed)
• Food in stomach slows absorption

Question 3

Blood Alcohol & Driving (Blood Alcohol []’s)

Answer 3

BAC of 0.02 begins to impair driving

BAC or 0.08 is illegal for driving (DUI in CA)

Question 4

Ethanol metabolism - ADH pathway metabolites

Answer 4

CH3CH2OH (ethanol) +NAD+-> CH3CHO (acetaldehyde) +NAD+-> CH3COOH (acetic acid) +CoA-> CH3CO-S-CoA (Ac-CoA)

Question 5

Ethanol metabolism - ADH pathway enzymes

Answer 5

alcohol dehydrogenase -> aldehyde dehydrogenase -> Ac-CoA synthetase

Question 6

Why are women more affected by alcohol than men?

Answer 6

1) they are smaller (less total body mass)
2) have less water per body weight
3) have less ADH in stomach lining

Question 7

Under what condition is the MEOS pathway utilized?

Answer 7

Under high doses of ethanol; creates Acetaldehyde

Question 8

t 1/2 for drugs is defined as

Answer 8

time required for drug concentration to fall by half

Question 9

How can ethanol affect drug degradation?

Answer 9

Inhibits it by competitive inhibition with the drug; as a result, alcohol with drugs such as sedatives can be lethal.

Increase rate of metabolism by increasing level of cytP450; may result in more toxic metabolites as with acetominophen+alcohol

Question 10

Effects of alcohol on brain

Answer 10

• Interacts with multiple receptors including endorphin receptors in the brain-> release of dopamine -> sensation of intoxication
• Addictive: most common addictive substance in US.
• Excessive alcohol intake -> tolerance -> increased consumption -> dependence and addiction.

Question 11

Hangover gene in Drosophila

Answer 11

Mutants defective in this gene cannot build tolerance to alcohol
-encodes a nuclear DNA-binding protein

Question 12

Nutritional Effects of Excessive Alcohol

Consumption

Answer 12

• too many empty calories and too few good nutrients
• Impairs absorption, metabolism or retention of key vitamins & minerals
• Diuretic -> dehydration (contributes to hangover)

Question 13

Disease Risks from Excessive Alcohol

Consumption

Answer 13

• liver cirrhosis (cells gain fat -> rupture -> organ failure)
• Heart failure (same as liver)
• Brain damage: direct alcohol toxicity -> impaired brain fxn
• Stomach and pancreas: inflammation
• Breast cancer: up 50% from 3 or more drinks/day
• Oropharyngeal Cancer…if both smoking and drinking

Question 14

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Answer 14

-Alcohol is a potent teratogen (birth defects)
-Causes FAS-mental retardation with impaired nerve & immune
function (ADD, bi-polar, asthma, epilepsy, autism).
-Leading known cause of mental retardation in West.

Question 15

Beneficial Effects of Alcohol

Answer 15

~1 drink/d reduces incidence of heart disease by 20-40%.

-Red wine has antioxidants.