accident, suicide, malnutrition, or acute alcohol poisoning, a toxic reaction that kills by para-
lyzing body organs, including the heart.
Malnutrition. While moderate alcohol consumption stimulates appetite, alcohol abuse
depresses it. In addition, an alcoholic may drink instead of eating. When an alcoholic does
eat, excess alcohol in his/her body prevents absorption of nutrients and reduces the ability
to synthesize new tissue.
Hangover. Alcohol is absorbed from the stomach and small intestine and carried by the
bloodstream to the liver, where it is oxidized to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase
(ADH), the enzyme our bodies use to metabolize the alcohol we produce when we digest
carbohydrates. The acetaldehyde is converted to acetyl coenzyme A and either eliminated
from the body or used in the synthesis of cholesterol, fatty acids, and body tissues. Although
individuals vary widely in their capacity to metabolize alcohol, on average, normal healthy
adults can metabolize the alcohol in one quart of beer in approximately five to six hours. If
they drink more than that, they will have more alcohol than the body’s natural supply of
ADH can handle. The unmetabolized alcohol will pile up in the bloodstream, interfering with
the liver’s metabolic functions. Since alcohol decreases the reabsorption of water from the
kidneys and may inhibit the secretion of an antidiuretic hormone, they will begin to urinate
copiously, losing magnesium, calcium, and zinc but retaining more irritating uric acid. The
level of lactic acid in the body will increase, making them feel tired and out of sorts; their
acid-base balance will be out of kilter; the blood vessels in their heads will swell and throb;
and their stomachs, with linings irritated by the alcohol, will ache. The ultimate result is a
“hangover” whose symptoms will disappear only when enough time has passed to allow
their bodies to marshal the ADH needed to metabolize the extra alcohol in their blood.
Changes in body temperature. Alcohol dilates capillaries, tiny blood vessels just under the
skin, producing a “flush” that temporarily warms the drinker. But drinking is not an effective
way to stay warm in cold weather. Warm blood flowing up from the body core to the surface
capillaries is quickly chilled, making you even colder when it circulates back into your organs.
In addition, an alcohol flush triggers perspiration, further cooling your skin. Finally, very large
amounts of alcohol may actually depress the mechanism that regulates body temperature.
Impotence. Excessive drinking decreases libido (sexual desire) and interferes with the ability
to achieve or sustain an erection.
“Beer belly.” Data from a 1995, 12,000 person study at the University of North Carolina
in Chapel Hill show that people who consume at least six beers a week have more rounded
abdomens than people who do not drink beer. The question left to be answered is which
came first: the tummy or the drinking.
Food/Drug Interactions
Acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc.). The FDA recommends that people who regularly have three
or more drinks a day consult a doctor before using acetaminophen. The alcohol/acetamino-
phen combination may cause liver failure.
Beer