Alcohol Metabolism: An Additional Burden to Your Liver

Do you know how your body metabolize or eliminates the alcohol you consumed? Alcohol does not require any digestion and the absorption process does not require number of enzymes. When alcohol enters into your stomach all the green signals are on and the alcohol runs through all absorption process so quickly. Within one minute or two your stomach walls of your empty stomach absorb twenty percent of the alcohol you have consumed.

Alcohol Absorption

Do you know how your alcoholic drink gets absorbed in to your body? The absorption of alcohol is quicker than your food. Of course your food items have to undergo several steps before absorption and the absorption procedure needs enzyme. If your drink has higher alcohol concentration then your absorption will be faster. If your drink is carbonated i.e. beer or if you add carbonated water to your drink then your absorption will be faster. If you consume your drink in empty stomach your absorption will be still faster. So make sure that you are not consuming your drink in empty stomach. It is reported that about twenty per cent is absorbed in your stomach. The remaining eighty per cent is absorbed in your small intestine. In your small intestine there is rapid absorption of alcohol takes place.

Alcohol in Your Blood

Once you absorb your alcohol, the liquid makes entry into your blood stream and get it dissolved in your blood. The water molecules in your blood allow the liquid to get dissolved. The water molecules of your tissues dissolve the alcohol and now this liquid exerts its effects on your body.

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)

If the amount of alcohol consumed by you exceeds your body's ability to metabolize it, your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) increases. Now are able to feel the effects of alcohol intoxication and you can find your BAC increased significantly within twenty minutes after consuming your drink.

Minimal Elimination Process at your Kidney and Lungs

The alcohol concentration in your blood as well as body tissues will be metabolized and eliminated by three different organs of your body. Your kidney can flush out and eliminate just five per cent of your alcohol through urine. Your lung will help you to eliminate five per cent of your alcohol through your breathing. Your liver does the major performance in metabolizing the remaining ninety per cent of your alcohol. The alcohol concentrated blood flows towards your liver via the veins and capillaries of your digestive tract.

Alcohol Metabolism at Your Liver

Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH)

After reaching your liver the blood affects nearly every liver cell. Please understand that your liver cells of your body can produce the required enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) to oxidize alcohol at a faster rate to ease out alcohol concentration. The alcohol metabolism is a complex process.

Oxidation Metabolism

Your body metabolism involves a several metabolism processes, one of which is referred to as oxidation. Through oxidation process, the alcohol you have consumed gets detoxified and removed from your blood. The enzyme ADH converts alcohol into acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is quickly converted to acetate by other enzymes and is eventually metabolized to carbon dioxide and water. Thus your liver cells prevent the alcohol from accumulating and destroying your body tissues and vital organs.

Disaster Management

Your liver cells generally utilizes fatty acids as fuel and stores excess fatty acids as triglycerides. Your alcohol concentration triggers the alarm bell and warns your liver cells to do some disaster management job. Now your liver cells will shift the priority to alcohol metabolism. It simply diverts its concentration on the alcohol concentrated blood. Till the time your liver cells engage in alcohol metabolism, the fatty acids accumulate in huge amounts in your liver. It simply breaks down alcohol into acetic acid. How much alcohol you can eliminate within one hour? It is estimated that, if you are an average person, you can eliminate just 15 ml (0.5 oz).

How Alcoholism can Damage Your Liver?

If you keep on disturbing your liver cells to exert more energy on alcohol metabolism, there will be changes in your liver cell structure. Soon your liver cells will loose the ability to metabolize fats. Now you may able to understand the causes for developing fatty liver. Your kidneys also get enlarged and there is disturbance in your hormone functions. As a result you may end up with kidney failure.

Now you know the elimination process. Please understand that large amount of alcohol over a period of an hour in take will slow down your absorption, dissolving, elimination metabolism and will increase your BAC much more. The BAC increases when the body absorbs alcohol faster than it can eliminate it. So, because the body can only eliminate about one dose of alcohol per hour, drinking several drinks in an hour will increase your BAC much more than having one drink over a period of an hour or more.

Source:

1) Alcohol Metabolism - http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa35.htm

2) Alcohol and Your Health - http://www.healthchecksystems.com/alcohol.htm

3) How Alcohol Enters and Leaves the Body - http://mhealthcare.blogspot.com/2007/08/how-alcohol-enters-and-leaves-body.html