AFP Health Reviews

The capillaries around the digestive tract enter into veins ,and they take the alcohol-rich blood into liver.There,the veins branch and rebranch to form the capillaries that contacts with each of the liver cells.Liver almost handled most of the alcohol in our body. When the blood flow through the liver, the liver cells will deal with alcohol. The location of the liver in the blood circulation makes it can remove toxins before that reaching other organs.

The liver has two mechanisms for alcohol metabolism.One is an enzyme that can take off the hydrogen in ethanol and then break it down;its name is alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH).It can handle 80% alcohol of the body, or more. Another mechanism is a series of enzymes known as the MEOS, which will handle 10% alcohol. The remaining alcohol will be disposed through respiration and excretion. Because the alcohol concentration in breath is directly in proportion to the blood alcohol, so when somebody is suspected drink driving ,they will be taken the breath test by the police of the law enforcement authority, and the test can be very accurately reflect the person’s intoxication levels.

In a certain period of time, the amount of alcohol that a human body can tolerate is determined by ADH which are stored in liver.If the alcohol molecules which have reached the liver exceed the number that liver can bear, the excess alcohol molecules have to wait for free enzyme.They will circulate among the blood circulation again and again,into the brain,liver and other organs,until the enzyme degrade them.

Another part of the ADH enzyme is stored in the stomach, and they will break down some alcohol before that get into the blood.Study found that the stomach of alcoholics has ADH enzyme less than others, and also women have ADH enzyme less than men too.So when drinking women do not keep up with men, even when compared with the same body of men, when drinking into the same amount of wine, women will absorb 1/3 of the alcohol more than men.

The number of ADH enzyme also relates to whether a person is eating.If you have a day without eating, the body can lead to protein degradation including the ADH enzyme.The speed of alcohol metabolism will fall by half.Cautious drinkers will drink very slowly,and the food will be eaten at first so that the alcohol molecules can reach the liver gradually and slowly,and the amount of alcohol molecules will be not more than the enzyme will bear in the liver.

It will take one and a half hours or so to finish the alcohol metabolism after a bout of drinking. The length of time depends on the person’s body size, previous drinking experience,the last meal,and his current state of health.The liver is the only organ that can deal with alcohol,but the maximum speed of alcohol metabolism does not can be improved.This explains why only can time makes a person drunk regain conscious.However walking can’t do that,because the muscles can not metabolize alcohol,and coffee can’t either.Caffeine is a stimulant, but it can not speed up alcohol metabolism.”A cup of coffee can make a sleeping alcoholic into an exciting one,”the police officer said sadly.