The relationship between alcohol and human health
作者：admin 点击次数：139 发布时间：2025-06-12
(1) The metabolic process of alcohol in the body
Alcohol is the main ingredient of alcohol, and since alcohol is a water-soluble compound, it can be absorbed by the human body without the need for enzymes to decompose. After drinking, alcohol is quickly absorbed in the digestive tract by diffusion and enters the blood circulation. Alcohol is absorbed very little in the stomach and more than 80% in the small intestine. There are several factors that affect the rate of absorption of alcohol in the digestive tract: 1. Alcohol concentration and alcohol consumption
In patients with an alcohol intake of less than 1 g/kg body weight, the alcohol concentration and alcohol consumption did not have a significant effect on the absorption rate. If this amount is exceeded and the alcohol concentration is high (more than 30%), the rate of absorption is reduced due to damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa. 2. Residual food in the stomach
If there is food residue in the stomach, alcohol is absorbed more slowly, and on an empty stomach, alcohol is absorbed more quickly. 3. Accelerated absorption
Beverages containing CO are absorbed more slowly, but beer is absorbed more slowly than other brewed wines.
Alcohol is absorbed through the biofilm and mixed with body fluids and distributed in tissues, and the distribution of each tissue is parallel to the distribution of water. The blood alcohol concentration reaches the highest 1~1.5h after drinking, and gradually decreases thereafter. Most of the alcohol distributed in tissues throughout the body is oxidized and decomposed in the liver, and only a small part is broken down in other tissues.
Alcohol is first catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver, oxidized to acetaldehyde, and then under the action of aldehyde dehydrogenase, it is transformed into acetic acid, most of which enters the blood, is metabolized with normal acetic acid, and finally becomes carbon dioxide and water. Acetaldehyde oxidizes to acetic acid at a rapid rate, and acetaldehyde is generally not stored in the body within the range of alcohol consumption. However, if a large amount of alcohol is consumed, acetaldehyde retention can also occur and symptoms of poisoning occur. After getting drunk, the next day's discomfort is often associated with acetaldehyde poisoning.
The vast majority (more than 95%) of the alcohol ingested is broken down through these pathways, and a small part of the alcohol is exhaled directly from the lungs and excreted through the skin and urine.
(2) The effect of alcohol consumption on the metabolism of lipids and other nutrients
Alcohol can induce fatty liver formation by allowing fat to accumulate in the liver. The main reason is that fat is inhibited and promotes synthesis, followed by an increase in the influx of fat from the periphery into the liver.
The mechanism of alcohol inhibiting the oxidative decomposition of fat and promoting fat synthesis has been studied, which may be due to the formation of excess reduced coenzyme 1 by alcohol oxidation, which inhibits the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and because the excess of hydrogen shifts the internal environment of the cell to the reduced state, thus promoting the synthesis of fat metabolism.
Since the tricarboxylic acid cycle is inhibited, sugar metabolism is also affected. The amount of glucose, which is mainly used by peripheral tissues, decreases, so that the blood sugar rises after ingestion of alcohol, but it has also been observed that alcohol lowers the concentration of blood glucose. (3) The impact of alcohol consumption on human health
Drinking small amounts of alcohol is good for your health. Especially when the climate is cold, it can increase the sense of warmth, make people feel uplifted, happy, and relieve negative emotions. After a person gets cold, drinking a small amount of alcohol can prevent the development of a cold, so a small amount of alcohol is beneficial to the body. However, if you drink a lot of alcohol regularly, it is harmful to the body.
Acute poisoning tends to occur when drinking too much alcohol. According to research, the amount of alcohol that causes symptoms is 75~80g, which is closely related to the concentration of alcohol in the human blood. In mild cases, due to the inhibition of the cerebral cortex of the higher nervous system, the lower nerve center loses control, which is manifested as elation and speech, and its discrimination, attention, and memory become sluggish, and the efficiency of doing things is greatly reduced. In severe cases, it will further develop, with central nervous system paralysis, often with symptoms such as drowsiness and lethargy, and even life-threatening. Long-term excessive drinking is very dangerous to the human body, although it is not as dangerous as acute poisoning, but it may induce other diseases, such as inducing the onset of heart, cerebrovascular and other diseases, especially the elderly. Studies in recent years have shown that long-term alcohol consumption can irritate the throat and lead to an increased incidence of nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers. Because alcohol is mainly oxidized and decomposed in the liver, it can directly damage liver cells, so people with liver disease should stop drinking, even if the original liver is normal, long-term heavy drinking can also lead to liver cirrhosis. People who drink alcohol regularly, the most common deficiency in the body is vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin B, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, etc. Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is more damaging to health. In fasting, it is harmful if the alcohol content in the stomach contents exceeds 0.5%. If the alcohol concentration in the stomach contents does not exceed 0.5%, it will not only not affect health, but will have the effect of promoting the secretion of digestive juices and increasing appetite. In addition, strong alcohol is more harmful than low alcohol alcohol. There are many other health hazards associated with chronic alcoholism, such as polyneuritis, myocardial lesions, hematopoietic dysfunction of encephalopathy, pancreatitis, nephritis, and ulcer disease, and there have also been reports of a higher prevalence of hypertension in regular drinkers.