Unit 14 Flashcards
Alcohol: the positives and negatives
Why is alcohol both a food and a drug?
Food: made from carbohydrates
Drug: modifies various body functions
How is alcohol formed?
when yeast ferments sugars in different foods
Why is wine, beer, cider and vodka formed from?
Wine - grape sugars
Beer - sugar in malted barley
Cider - sugar in apples
Vodka - sugar in potatoes
What does alcohol do at a low dose? High dose?
Low: acts as a stimulant (increased talkativeness)
High: depresses the CNS (drowsiness, respiratory depression)
What alcohol has 3-4% alcohol?
Beer
What alcohol has 8-14% alcohol?
Wine
What is the alcohol % of distilled alcohol?
around 40%
How much is one drink for beer, wine and distilled liquor?
In mL
Beer- 355mL
Wine - 148mL
Distilled liquor - 44mL shot
What is the recommended # of drink per day for men and women?
Women - 1
Men - 2
What are some postitive effect of alcohol?
When consuming the recommended amount per day
- may protect from heart disease in men over 45 and women over 55
- increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the ‘good cholesterol’
- may protect against type 2 diabetes (in non diabetics) and ischemic stroke (but not hemorrhagic)
- red wines pigments act as an antioxidant and inhibit blood clot formation
- may decrease the ability of LDL cholesterol to stick to plaques in the arteries
What is considered heavy drinking?
5 or more drinks/day
drinkers health and those of others is threatened
What is alcoholism?
A chronic and progressive disease
What are the symptoms of alcohol poisoning?
- passing out
- semi-conscious
- cold, pale, bluish skin
- vomiting while sleeping
- slow irregular breathing
- seizures
What type of cancer can you be at an increased risk for if you consume alcohol?
Breast cancer
Risk increases with each unit of alcohol consumed, no safe level
What are the 7 types of cancer causally linked to alcohol?
according to WHO
- breast cancer
- oral cavity
- pharynx
- esophagus
- liver
- larynx
- colorectum
What are some other negative effects of alcohol consumption?
- high BP
- stroke
- heart attack
- cirrhosis
- throat and stomach cancer
- breats and bladder cancer
- vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- fetal alcohol syndrome
- accidents
- drowinings
- violent behaviour
Taking risks when you have been drinking can lead to…
3 things
- getting hurt or even death
- sexual risk taking
- suicide and self-harm
What are some signs and symptoms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)?
- impaired growth and mental development
- may have distinct facial features (small eye openeings, smooth philtrum, thin upper lip)
facial features only present in about 10% of people with FASD
What % of candians have FASD? How much more prevalent is it compared to autism?
4%
2.5 x more prevalent
What % of mothers report consuming alcohol during pregnancy? Alcohol binges?
11%
Binges - 3%
What is seen in >90% of individuals with FASD?
mental health disorders, comapred to 20% in the general population
What are the most common mental health disorders seen in those with FASD?
Depression and anxiety
T/F: can early intervention of FASD improve a childs development
True
How many calories come from alcohol?
7 calories/gram
What % of calories come from alcohol for adults who drink? For heavy drinkers?
regular consumers: 3-9%
heavy drinkers: 50%
What happens to diet quality when you increase alcohol consumption?
decreases
What type of calories come from alcohol?
empty calories
Where is the alcohol easily and rapidly absorbed?
stomach and small intestine
What needs to happen to alcohol in order for it to leave the blood and body tissue?
needs to be broken down by the liver and used for energy or converted into fat and stored
Is alcohol stored?
No, remains in body until eliminated
What % of alcohol is eliminated directly without being metabolized?
10%
Body treats alcohol as a toxin and begins elimination immediately
How is alcohol eliminated without being metabolized?
Exhaled via lungs, and the rest via sweat, saliva and urine
What % of alcohol that enters the body is eventually completely oxidized?
90%
Why is a small amount of alcohol metabolized in the stomach?
because it has a small amount of alcohol dehydrogenase
rest is metabolized by the liver
Why do women have lower alcohol tolerances?
- women have lower amounts of alcohol dehydrogenase (more alcohol goes right to bloodstream)
- women have more body fat and less body water (alcohol is dispersed in body water - women reach higher peak alcohol concentrations then men)
- women have lower blood volume
What is blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) determined by?
- amount of alcohol consumed
- presence or absence of food
- rate of alcohol metabolism
What can increase alcohol absorption rates?
- drinking on an empty stomach
- drinking highly concentrated alcohol
- carbonated beverages
How can alcohol absorption be slowed?
- eating before or while drinking
- diluting drinks with water or fruit juice
3.
What are blood alcohol levels raised to after a drink or 2?
In a person of about 140lbs
0.03%
What is the impaired driving limit?
0.08%
What happens when your blood alcohol level is between 0.08 and 0.1%?
- impairment in all driving skills, coordination, balance and speech
What happens when your blood alcohol level is 0.13%?
more severe slurred speech, double vision, dulled reflexes, unsteadiness, dangerously imapired descision making, vomiting
What happens when your blood alcohol level is >0.35%?
- loss of consciousness
- alcohol poisoning
- can cause death
How many drinks can alcohol process per hour?
1
What does the amount of alcohol dehydrogenase depend on?
genetics and how recently you have eaten
How does alcohol damage the liver?
3 things
- fatty liver - fat accumalates
- fibrosis - liver cells die and form scar tissue
- cirrhosis - damage least reversible
How does alcohol affect behaviour? Briefly explain.
3 things
- depresses the behavioural inhibitory centers (more talkative, more self-confident and less socially inhibited)
- slows down processing of information from the senses (trouble seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting, and threshold for pain is raised
- inhibits thought processes (poor judgment and clouded thinking)
Can you sober up by walking around the block?
No, muscles cannot metabolize alcohol, only the liver can
Can a cup of coffee sober you up?
No, it is a stimulant but won’t speed up metabolism
Why is it bad to drink along with other drugs such as sleeping pills, antidepressants and painkillers?
alcohol metabolism competes for detoxification system in liver so drugs build up (body wants to remove both toxins but cannot remove both at the same time)
When can occur when you drink and take aspirin or ibuprofen?
when done frequently
stomach ulcers and bleeding
When can occur when you drink and take acetominophen?
when done frequently
liver damage
When can occur when you drink and take sedatives or narcotics?
severe sedation
What does taurine do?
In redbull, with respect to alcohol
can alter the locomotor stimulatory, sedating and motivational effects of ethanol in a strongly does-dependent manner
Why is mixing redbull and alcohol dangerous?
RedBull can mask the effects of alcohol - it is a stimulant while alcohol is a depressant
You feel less intoxicated while still experiencing alcohol related impairements
What is type 1 alcholism?
occurs after the age of 25 and is generally environmental and genetic in orgin (drink to relieve anxiety), affects men and women
What type of alcoholism is typically genetic and occurs with early exposure to alcohol?
Type 2
Which type of alcoholism affetcs men more often?
Type 2
Which type of alcoholism do people usually drink to induce euphoria?
Type 2
What is considered binge drinking for men and women respectively?
Men - less than or equal to 5 drinks in 1 occasion
Women - less than or equal to 4 drinks in one occassion
What % of 8th, 10th and 12th graders have reported binge drinking?
8th - 15%
10th - 26%
31% - 12th
