How does alcohol get metabolized and excreted?
When a person drinks an alcoholic beverage, about 20 percent of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and about 80 percent is absorbed in the small intestine.
After absorption, the alcohol enters the bloodstream and dissolves in the water of the blood. The blood carries the alcohol throughout the body. The alcohol from the blood then enters and dissolves in the water inside each tissue of the body (except fat tissue, as alcohol cannot dissolve in fat). Once inside the tissues, alcohol exerts its effects on the body. The observed effects depend directly on the blood alcohol concentration (BAC), which is related to the amount of alcohol consumed. The BAC can rise significantly within 20 minutes after having a drink.
The liver can be specifically defined as a large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates, involved in many metabolic processes, including the process of breaking down alcohol inside the body.
Through a complex metabolic process the liver firstly changes alcohol into acetaldehyde, which can be better be classified as a highly toxic substance. The acetaldehyde is converted by the liver into acetate, a harmless substance, which is then turned into carbon dioxide and water which are then simply excreted from the body.
As the liver is such a multitasking organ, performing over 500 functions, it is not surprising that liver function can be damaged in a number of ways. There are two main alcohol diseases known as alcohol hepatitis and alcohol Cirrhosis.
Alcohol hepatitis
If you have a fatty liver (liver with a lot of fat tissue) and continue to drink, you have up to a one in four chance of getting alcoholic
hepatitis. This is a condition where your liver becomes
puffy, swollen and tender, leading to side affects such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain etc.
Alcoholic Cirrhosis
The final stage of alcoholic liver disease is cirrhosis. This is usually the result of long-term, continuous damage to the liver. Irregular bumps, known as nodules, replace the smooth liver tissue and the liver becomes harder. The effect of this, together with continued scarring from fibrosis, means that the liver will run out of healthy cells to support normal functions. This can lead to complete liver failure. With liver failure, all important metabolic processes will not occur, causing many other physique problems.
Through a complex metabolic process the liver firstly changes alcohol into acetaldehyde, which can be better be classified as a highly toxic substance. The acetaldehyde is converted by the liver into acetate, a harmless substance, which is then turned into carbon dioxide and water which are then simply excreted from the body.
As the liver is such a multitasking organ, performing over 500 functions, it is not surprising that liver function can be damaged in a number of ways. There are two main alcohol diseases known as alcohol hepatitis and alcohol Cirrhosis.
Alcohol hepatitis
If you have a fatty liver (liver with a lot of fat tissue) and continue to drink, you have up to a one in four chance of getting alcoholic
hepatitis. This is a condition where your liver becomes
puffy, swollen and tender, leading to side affects such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain etc.
Alcoholic Cirrhosis
The final stage of alcoholic liver disease is cirrhosis. This is usually the result of long-term, continuous damage to the liver. Irregular bumps, known as nodules, replace the smooth liver tissue and the liver becomes harder. The effect of this, together with continued scarring from fibrosis, means that the liver will run out of healthy cells to support normal functions. This can lead to complete liver failure. With liver failure, all important metabolic processes will not occur, causing many other physique problems.