Alcohol’s Effect on the
Body
Jennifer Fleischer
Lee-Anne Nordin
Teresa Welsch
What is an alcohol?
Chemical terms = a class of organic compounds
containing hydroxyl (OH) groups
Common Terms = ethyl alcohol (ethanol) = intoxicating
ingredient in beer, wine and distilled spirits (hard liquor)
DRUG
H
H-C-H
H-C-H
OH
Characteristics of alcohol
Can dissolve lipids out of cell membranes
= fast cell penetration, destroys and kills cells
 Kills microbial cells
= disinfectants
 Toxic in relatively small doses (ethanol less so)
 Modifies body functions = a drug
 Potentially toxic and cannot be stored in the
body
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Alcoholic Beverages
Stated in proofs 100 = 50% alcohol
80 = 40 % etc.
 A drink = ½ ounce of pure ethanol
 Moderate intake:
Avg. male = 2 drinks / day
Avg. female = 1 drink / day
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Alcohol in the Body
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Does not need time for digestion
Quickly absorbed
On a full stomach the effects are delayed
Always receives priority status and attention when
present in the body
Breakdown
 Begins in stomach – alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme
 Capillaries of digestive tract merge to veins and carry
alcohol to liver
*Goal is to get out of body as quickly as possible
At the Liver
– Veins make alcohols touch every liver cell
– Liver cells = enough alcohol dehydrogenase to work fast enough
to dispose of some alcohol before it moves on – Can process ½
(one drink) ounce per hour
– #1 priority status = alcohol is metabolized before fatty acids and
thus fatty acids accumulate
Microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system
(MOES)
– Approx. 20% of alcohol consumed is handled by this system
– Also used to break down other drugs (alcohol is still the #1
priority)
10% of alcohol leaves through breath and urine
Alcohol dehydrogenase breakdown:
1. oxidizes to acetaldehyde
2.acetaldehyde dehydrogenase converts to
acetate
3.converted to acetyl CoA
These reactions produce H+ - Picked up by NAD to become
NADH. Other processes such as energy are put on hold
 Excess NADH = lactic acid production = problems with
excretion of uric acid and causes inflammation of joints.

Stages of Liver Deterioration
1.
2.
3.
Fatty Liver
-difficulty generating glucose
-interference of nutrient and oxygen
distribution to liver cells.
Fibrosis
-liver cells die, forms fibrous scar tissue
Cirrhosis
-damage is least reversible at this point,
regeneration is not likely
Alcohol at the Brain

Is a depressant NOT a stimulant – effects all nerve
cells
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Brain cells die with excessive exposure (do not all
regenerate)
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Depresses production of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH)
which retains water = more urination & water loss
Steps in which alcohol effects the Brain
1.
Frontal lobe sedation (reason is impaired)
2.
Speech and vision centers are sedated
3.
Cells in cerebellum effected (coordination)
4.
Respiration and heart action is effected
Pros and Cons of Consumption
Pros
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Reduced heart risk
Reduce chances of coronary artery
disease
Stroke prevention
Reduce development of blocked
arteries in your legs
Cons
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In small amounts…
 Slow brain activity
 Interfere with sleep and
sexual function
 Raise your blood pressure
 Heartburn, headaches
 Binge Drinking
 Liver, Kidney, Lung and heart
disease
 Stroke
 Osteoporosis
 Obesity
 Increase risk of types of
cancer
Short Term Effects of Alcohol
(Lasts up to 72 hrs, Binge Drinking)
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The short-term effects on the circulatory system include decreased
blood pressure, pulse and respiration.
Alcohol blocks the absorption of essential nutrients and contributes
to malnutrition among heavy drinkers.
Alcohol use also impairs the functioning of the immune system—
weakening the body’s ability to fight off infectious disease.
In the short-term, this will increase the number of colds you will
experience.
Alcohol impairs memory by inhibiting the transfer and consolidation
of information in long-term memory—so alcohol reduces our ability
to remember information that we learned before going out for
drinks.
Short term cont…
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A person’s attention span is shorter for periods
up to forty-eight hours after drinking
Alcohol affects many parts of the brain, but the
most vulnerable cells are those associated with
memory, coordination, and judgment.
May dull a person’s inhibitions
Impair motor coordination, may stumble or fall
May cause you to engage in unprotected,
“regrettable” sex
Long Term Effects of Alcoholism
Arthritis
 Cancer- liver, pancreas, rectum, breast,
mouth
 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
 Heart Disease
 Hyperglycemia
 Hypoglycemia
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More effects…
Infertility
 Kidney Disease
 Liver Disease
 Malnutrition
 Nervous Disorders
 Obesity
 Psychological disturbances
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Is two drinks too much?
Alcohol is only destructive when consumed
in large quantities on a continual basis.
 The body needs time to recover between
episodes of drinking.
 Heavy drinkers have significantly greater
risks of dying from all causes.
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Dietary Risks
Study by Mendenhall, 1992 indicates that
alcoholics are at risk for suffering from
malnutrition, infections, and immune
dysfunction.
 Malnourished patients are more likely to
become ill. Alcoholics are more likely to be
malnourished.
 Frequency and severity of malnutrition
increased with the development of liver
disease.
 Study found that malnutrition was
proportional to socioeconomic status.
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More Dietary implications…
Deitz et. al. 1996
 Dietary implications are most devastating when
alcohol consumption affects a person's ability to
afford both alcohol and food or when alcohol
replaces the preference or need for other
important foods in the diet.
 Heavier drinkers were more likely to report a
diet high in fat and low in fiber and to believe
that diet has little effect on health.
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Specific Dietary Trends found by
Deitz et. al.
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Heavier drinkers were 27 percent less likely than abstainers to
consume sweets in 1987 and 32 percent less likely in 1992.
In 1987 heavier drinkers were significantly more likely to
consume more fatty foods compared with abstainers, and in
1992 light drinkers were less likely to consume fatty foods.
Heavier drinkers were 22 percent less likely than abstainers to
consume sweetened drinks in 1987 and 20 percent less likely in
1992.
Moderate drinkers were 27 percent more likely than abstainers
to eat salty snacks in 1987 and 39 percent more likely in 1992.
Overall, heavier drinkers were nearly twice as likely to eat out
(72 percent higher in 1987 and 70 percent higher in 1990) when
compared with abstainers.
Moderate and light drinkers were slightly more likely to take
vitamin or mineral supplements compared with heavier drinkers
in 1987.
Data indicate that individuals who currently drank alcohol were
more likely to supplement their diets with vitamins and/or
minerals than were abstainers.
Can Alcohol have Positive Effects?
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Ashley et. al. (2000)
Evidence suggests that moderate consumption protects
against ischemic stroke. (Tied to consumption of alcohol
not specific beverages.)
The evidence that moderate alcohol consumption
protects against diabetes and gallstones is also fairly
strong.
May also have cognitive benefits but this is problematic
because the effects of alcohol on the central nervous
system are extremely complex, in part because alcohol
interacts with many different neurotransmitter systems,
and also because the effects on these systems may be
dose-dependent and variable across individuals.
Myths of Alcohol
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Alcohol is predominantly a sedative of depressant drug
Alcohol has the same chemical and physiological effect on everyone
who drinks
Alcohol is harmful and poisonous to the Alcoholic
Craving for alcohol can be offset by eating high sugar foods
If Alcoholics eat three balanced meals a day, their nutritional
problems will eventually correct themselves
Alcohol stimulates the appetite
Beer is a great source of carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and
fluids
Drinking alcohol reduces the risk of heart disease
If you take an aspirin before drinking, it decreases the odds of a
hangover
Facts
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More than 2 drinks daily doubles your chance of
developing high blood pressure.
1 ½ drinks a day increases the risk of breast cancer.
More than 1 or 2 drinks a week promotes aging.
1.5 million Americans are allergic to the ingredients in
alcoholic beverages – without knowing it.
Alcohol is the third leading source of calories in the
American diet.
Drinking poisons the heart muscles, counteracts the
benefits of exercise, increases male impotence, and
depresses the body’s immune system.
The Drinker’s Prayer
Our lager,
Which art in barrels,
Hallowed be thy drink.
Thy will be drunk, (I will be drunk),
At home as it is in the tavern.
Give us this day our foamy head,
And forgive us our spillage,
As we forgive those who spill against
us.
And lead us not to incarceration,
But deliver us from hangovers.
For thine is the beer, the bitter, and
the lager.
Barmen Brothers......
References
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Alcohol and your health: Weighing the pros and cons. (August 27, 2002)
CNN.com accessed June 12, 2004
[http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/sc/00024.html]
Ashley M.J. et. al. “Beyond ischemic heart disease: are there other health
benefits from drinking alcohol?” Contemporary Drug Problems, (Winter
2000) v27 i4 p735
Deitz et. al. “Alcohol consumption and dietary practices in the U.S.
population: 1987 and 1992.” Alcohol Health & Research World, (Spring
1996) v20 n2 p128(13)
Luks, A. & Barbata, J. (1989) You are What you Drink: The Authoritative
Report on What Alcohol Does to your Body, Mind, and Longevity. Villard
Books, New York.
Mendenhall , C. “Immunity, malnutrition, and alcohol.” Alcohol Health &
Research World, (Wntr 1992) v16 n1 p23(5)
Milam J. & Ketcham K. (1981) Under the Influence: A guide to the Myths
and Realities of Alcoholism. Madrona Publishers, Seattle.
Rimm E. B. et. al. “Review of moderate alcohol consumption and reduced
risk of coronary heart disease: is the effect due to beer, wine, or spirits?”
British Medical Journal, (March 23, 1996) v312 n7033 p731(6)
Short Term Effects Sheet. (nd) accessed June 12, 2004
[http://mostdogs.truman.edu/effects_alcohol.htm]
Whitney E. & Rolfes R. (2002) Understanding Nutrition. 9th eds. Wadsworth,
Australia.