1 Spotlight on Alcohol Photos © PhotoDisc

2 Alcohol The character of alcohol –Ethanol The alcohol in beer, wine, spirits –Methanol Wood alcohol – poisonous Is alcohol a nutrient? –Provides energy 7 kcal/gram –No other nutritive value Photos © PhotoDisc

3 Alcohol Fermentation –Yeast cells metabolize sugar to make alcohol Moderate Drinking –Women: 1 drink/day; Men: 2 drinks/day –12 oz beer; 5 oz wine; 1.5 oz of 80-proof spirits Alcohol absorption –No digestion required –Absorbed from mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine –Absorption slowed by food

4 Standard Servings of Alcohol 3 to 4 ounces unfortified wine 10 ounces wine cooler 12 ounces regular beer 1 ½ ounces hard liquor (80 proof)

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6 Alcohol Metabolism Metabolizing large amounts of alcohol –Overwhelms alcohol dehydrogenase system –Uses microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system (MEOS) Removing alcohol from circulation –Liver metabolism limited –Blood alcohol level falls slowly Individual differences in alcohol metabolism –Women: smaller body size, less total body water; less enzyme activity; more serious effects of chronic alcohol abuse

7 Graph source: National Institue on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

8 When Alcohol Becomes a Problem Alcohol in the brain and nervous system –Depressant; affects all parts of brain Alcohol’s effect on GI system –Esophagitis, gastritis Alcohol and the liver –Fatty liver –Fibrosis –Cirrhosis Fetal alcohol syndrome

9 Alcohol and the Liver Normal Liver Fatty Liver Cirrhotic Liver

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11 Judgment impaired Emotional control impaired Muscle coordination, reflexes impaired Vision impaired Drunk, lacking control In a stupor Loss of consciousness, death —0.60 Brain ResponseBlood Level Alcohol Blood Levels and Brain Responses

12 Alcoholics and Malnutrition Poor diet –Alcohol – energy but no nutrients –Economic factors –Lack of interest in food; GI problems Body weight –Inconsistent effect of alcohol calories on weight Vitamin deficiencies –Alcohol interferes with vitamin metabolism –Folate, thiamin, vitamin A

13 Alcoholics and Malnutrition Mineral deficiencies –Inadequate diet and fluid losses –Calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc –Some mineral levels are elevated Macronutrients –Alcohol interferes with amino acid absorption –Alcohol raises blood levels of fats

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