Alcohol And The Liver Essay
Alcohol and the Liver People in today’s society should be more cautious and aware of the adverse side effects that come with the lifestyle decisions they choose to make. Alcohol is one of those significant lifestyle choices that people should consider the consequences of when deciding to use it. There are three general classes that are in relation to alcohol: beers, wines, and spirits. Several alcoholic beverages are extremely popular; however the most consumed is beer. It has been around as far back as 95000 BCE. Overtime, alcoholic beverages have been found to be consumed for a variety of reasons due to hygienic, dietary, medicinal, religious, or recreational purposes. With drinking an alcoholic beverage, there are several consequences that may occur, most significantly within your liver. The liver is
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an essential organ within the body that performs various functions, such as detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of chemicals required for digestion. After alcohol is consumed and travels through your digestive system, it is metabolized by the liver.
In my opinion, I believe it is crucial for people to know how alcohol affects the most vital organ of their bodies due to the lifestyle decisions they make. I chose to research this topic due to the reason of my belief in stressing the importance of people becoming aware of what damage they are doing to their body as they intoxicate it. People are becoming exposed to this influence, making decisions that risk their own organs and lives unknowingly. The organ within the human body that receives the most abuse from alcohol consumption is the liver. ALD (Alcoholic Liver Disease) consists of three stages ranging from mild through severe levels. It can develop from damaging the tissue of the liver due to the toxic substances released from alcoholic beverages. Survival rates vary from 0-80%, whereas death rates average 60-90% depending on the intensity of the disease. The first stage of ALD is steatosis, more commonly known as fatty liver disease. This form of ALD occurs when there are excessive fats formed in the liver, which makes it difficult for the organ to operate and function at a lower efficiency. It causes yellow discoloration
of the liver due to fatty degeneration of the parenchymal cells and the accumulation of certain fats, such as triglycerides. This stage of liver deterioration, typically in heavy drinkers, interferes with the distribution of oxygen and nutrients to the liver cells. Symptoms of this disease include weakness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and nausea. If the condition of fatty liver persists long enough, it causes the liver cells to die. This forms fibrous scar tissue known as alcoholic hepatitis, the second stage of ALD. This disease is the development of dangerous inflammations due to excessive alcohol intake. If a person is diagnosed with either fatty liver or alcoholic hepatitis, they are still eligible to obtain a healthy, normal functioning liver by simply reversing their lifestyle with the method of resistance, called abstinence. If abstinence is maintained, the chances of reducing the dangers brought about by these diseases within the liver are extremely high. By maintaining abstinence, some liver cells are able to regenerate with good nutrition. Symptoms of this disease include yellow eyes or skin, fatigue, and a visible appearance of blood vessels on the skin. However, the third fatal stage of ALD is cirrhosis, caused by after years of drinking. A person who is diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis has the potential to an irreversible destruction and scarring of liver tissue, which disable the proper functioning of the liver. General symptoms of this disease include itchy skin, liver failure and weakness. Early symptoms include insomnia, whereas later symptoms include hair loss, gastrointestinal tract bleeding, dark urine, memory loss, loss of sexual desire, and vomiting of blood. All three stages of ALD have the ability to occur simultaneously, which can be fatal.
The effect alcohol has on the liver is severe, but also conflicts with the digestive system. When excessive fats are formed in the liver, they make it difficult to function properly. Essential chemicals that the liver secretes into the stomach are not necessarily available. The stomach requires chemicals to carry out digestion by breaking down the contents located within the organ. Without those chemicals being available for the stomach, it stops most absorption of nutrients for the body in the small intestine from occurring. This causes the liver cells from being unable to function properly and perform necessary tasks. The result is impairment of nutritional health. In addition with these complications, excessive long-term alcohol intake is usually found as a link to a higher risk of several cancers; mainly within the liver. With the disruption of the digestive system, alcohol also affects the normal functioning of the nervous system. It starts by reducing stimulation of thoughts, emotions, and judgment, causing you to have lower inhibitions, usually poor choices and dangerous situations. It affects your speech, muscle coordination, and most importantly, the vital centers of your brain. These side-effects can lead to dangerous consequences when judgment skills are reduced. Alcohol intake can also increase the absorption of alcohol in the blood stream. This causes a high blood sugar, which is unhealthy for the body. Altogether, these consequences influence one’s health greatly and set themselves in a higher risk of life-threatening situations.
ALD has severe effects on normal liver functions, maintaining a steady blood sugar, and the important functions of the brain. Traveling through the body, alcohol is slowly broken down in the stomach with the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme secreted by the liver. This enzyme breaks down alcohol by removing hydrogen in few steps. First, the enzyme oxidizes alcohol to acetaldehyde. Second, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase oxidizes the acetaldehyde to acetyl CoA. The reactions that have occurred produce hydrogen ions. Then, vitamin B niacin, as it performs its role as the coenzyme NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide), picks up the hydrogen ions, and becomes NADH (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide plus Hydrogen). Eventually, when alcohol is metabolized by the liver, NAD diminishes and NADH increases. This process lowers the amount of alcohol entering the bloodstream at an efficient amount. When it comes to absorption of alcohol, the process is done at an exceptionally fast rate in the upper portion of the small intestine. Then, alcohol-laden blood travels to the liver via the veins and capillaries of the digestive tract, affecting nearly every liver cell. The liver cells have been exposed to fatty acids like fuel, however, when alcohol is present, they are forced to metabolize it first and allow fatty acids to accumulate in large amounts. This permanently changes the structure of liver cells and impairs their ability to metabolize other fats. Although, if an excessive amount of alcohol is present in the liver, most enzymes cannot handle breaking down all of the components. Therefore, the alcohol travels to all parts of the body via the bloodstream, circulating until the liver enzymes are able to process it. This is the cause of the disease that most heavy, long-term drinkers have, known as fatty liver. During alcohol metabolism, NAD becomes unavailable for several other required vital body processes including glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and the electron transport chain. Without NAD, the energy pathway becomes blocked and causes many serious physical consequences. The most significant consequence is the accumulation of NADH when it slows down the TCA cycle and results in the production of pyruvate and acetyl CoA. The excessive amount of acetyl CoA leads to fatty acid synthesis and forms fatty substances. As alcohol circulates throughout the body without being metabolized, it increases the amount of sugar in the blood stream. The substance releases chemicals, such as ammonia. These toxic substances then travel to the brain and proceed to damage brain cells, causing serious complications and potentially a fatal brain disorder known as hepatic encephalopathy. It is crucial for people in society today to be aware of the consequences and side effects that come with one of the most influential lifestyle choices; alcoholic beverage intake. Their decision to choose such a path can cause severe damage to their body. There are high risks of acquiring various cancers, diseases, and disorders through different parts of your body. More importantly, they create intense complications that cause difficulties in performing normal, required functions for survival. These include but not limited to producing ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), breaking down food contents within the stomach chemically, carrying out digestion, detoxifying substances, maintaining homeostasis, completing protein synthesis, and performing normal functions of the brain. It is significantly important for people to be aware how alcohol affects the most vital organ of their bodies due to the lifestyle decisions they choose to make. Without knowing these facts, they are setting their own lives at risk as they as unaware of the damage they are doing to their own bodies that will affect them sooner than later.
Works Cited
"Alcohol and Your Body." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 09 Dec. 2011. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Alcohol Effects on the Liver." Alcohol and Health:. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2013.
"Alcoholic Liver Disease - Symptoms ." Alcoholic Liver Disease. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Alcoholic Liver Disease." Alcoholic Liver Disease Treatment. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Liver Damage Affects Brain." Beyond Hangovers. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Liver." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 May 2013. Web. 29 May 2013.
"Liver Disease." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 09 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Alcohol - It 's Effect on Your Body and Health." Alcohol - It 's Effect on Your Body and Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.
"What Happens to Your Liver as a Result of Drinking." What Happens to Your Liver as a Result of Drinking. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.
an essential organ within the body that performs various functions, such as detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of chemicals required for digestion. After alcohol is consumed and travels through your digestive system, it is metabolized by the liver.
In my opinion, I believe it is crucial for people to know how alcohol affects the most vital organ of their bodies due to the lifestyle decisions they make. I chose to research this topic due to the reason of my belief in stressing the importance of people becoming aware of what damage they are doing to their body as they intoxicate it. People are becoming exposed to this influence, making decisions that risk their own organs and lives unknowingly. The organ within the human body that receives the most abuse from alcohol consumption is the liver. ALD (Alcoholic Liver Disease) consists of three stages ranging from mild through severe levels. It can develop from damaging the tissue of the liver due to the toxic substances released from alcoholic beverages. Survival rates vary from 0-80%, whereas death rates average 60-90% depending on the intensity of the disease. The first stage of ALD is steatosis, more commonly known as fatty liver disease. This form of ALD occurs when there are excessive fats formed in the liver, which makes it difficult for the organ to operate and function at a lower efficiency. It causes yellow discoloration
of the liver due to fatty degeneration of the parenchymal cells and the accumulation of certain fats, such as triglycerides. This stage of liver deterioration, typically in heavy drinkers, interferes with the distribution of oxygen and nutrients to the liver cells. Symptoms of this disease include weakness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and nausea. If the condition of fatty liver persists long enough, it causes the liver cells to die. This forms fibrous scar tissue known as alcoholic hepatitis, the second stage of ALD. This disease is the development of dangerous inflammations due to excessive alcohol intake. If a person is diagnosed with either fatty liver or alcoholic hepatitis, they are still eligible to obtain a healthy, normal functioning liver by simply reversing their lifestyle with the method of resistance, called abstinence. If abstinence is maintained, the chances of reducing the dangers brought about by these diseases within the liver are extremely high. By maintaining abstinence, some liver cells are able to regenerate with good nutrition. Symptoms of this disease include yellow eyes or skin, fatigue, and a visible appearance of blood vessels on the skin. However, the third fatal stage of ALD is cirrhosis, caused by after years of drinking. A person who is diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis has the potential to an irreversible destruction and scarring of liver tissue, which disable the proper functioning of the liver. General symptoms of this disease include itchy skin, liver failure and weakness. Early symptoms include insomnia, whereas later symptoms include hair loss, gastrointestinal tract bleeding, dark urine, memory loss, loss of sexual desire, and vomiting of blood. All three stages of ALD have the ability to occur simultaneously, which can be fatal.
The effect alcohol has on the liver is severe, but also conflicts with the digestive system. When excessive fats are formed in the liver, they make it difficult to function properly. Essential chemicals that the liver secretes into the stomach are not necessarily available. The stomach requires chemicals to carry out digestion by breaking down the contents located within the organ. Without those chemicals being available for the stomach, it stops most absorption of nutrients for the body in the small intestine from occurring. This causes the liver cells from being unable to function properly and perform necessary tasks. The result is impairment of nutritional health. In addition with these complications, excessive long-term alcohol intake is usually found as a link to a higher risk of several cancers; mainly within the liver. With the disruption of the digestive system, alcohol also affects the normal functioning of the nervous system. It starts by reducing stimulation of thoughts, emotions, and judgment, causing you to have lower inhibitions, usually poor choices and dangerous situations. It affects your speech, muscle coordination, and most importantly, the vital centers of your brain. These side-effects can lead to dangerous consequences when judgment skills are reduced. Alcohol intake can also increase the absorption of alcohol in the blood stream. This causes a high blood sugar, which is unhealthy for the body. Altogether, these consequences influence one’s health greatly and set themselves in a higher risk of life-threatening situations.
ALD has severe effects on normal liver functions, maintaining a steady blood sugar, and the important functions of the brain. Traveling through the body, alcohol is slowly broken down in the stomach with the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme secreted by the liver. This enzyme breaks down alcohol by removing hydrogen in few steps. First, the enzyme oxidizes alcohol to acetaldehyde. Second, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase oxidizes the acetaldehyde to acetyl CoA. The reactions that have occurred produce hydrogen ions. Then, vitamin B niacin, as it performs its role as the coenzyme NAD (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide), picks up the hydrogen ions, and becomes NADH (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide plus Hydrogen). Eventually, when alcohol is metabolized by the liver, NAD diminishes and NADH increases. This process lowers the amount of alcohol entering the bloodstream at an efficient amount. When it comes to absorption of alcohol, the process is done at an exceptionally fast rate in the upper portion of the small intestine. Then, alcohol-laden blood travels to the liver via the veins and capillaries of the digestive tract, affecting nearly every liver cell. The liver cells have been exposed to fatty acids like fuel, however, when alcohol is present, they are forced to metabolize it first and allow fatty acids to accumulate in large amounts. This permanently changes the structure of liver cells and impairs their ability to metabolize other fats. Although, if an excessive amount of alcohol is present in the liver, most enzymes cannot handle breaking down all of the components. Therefore, the alcohol travels to all parts of the body via the bloodstream, circulating until the liver enzymes are able to process it. This is the cause of the disease that most heavy, long-term drinkers have, known as fatty liver. During alcohol metabolism, NAD becomes unavailable for several other required vital body processes including glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and the electron transport chain. Without NAD, the energy pathway becomes blocked and causes many serious physical consequences. The most significant consequence is the accumulation of NADH when it slows down the TCA cycle and results in the production of pyruvate and acetyl CoA. The excessive amount of acetyl CoA leads to fatty acid synthesis and forms fatty substances. As alcohol circulates throughout the body without being metabolized, it increases the amount of sugar in the blood stream. The substance releases chemicals, such as ammonia. These toxic substances then travel to the brain and proceed to damage brain cells, causing serious complications and potentially a fatal brain disorder known as hepatic encephalopathy. It is crucial for people in society today to be aware of the consequences and side effects that come with one of the most influential lifestyle choices; alcoholic beverage intake. Their decision to choose such a path can cause severe damage to their body. There are high risks of acquiring various cancers, diseases, and disorders through different parts of your body. More importantly, they create intense complications that cause difficulties in performing normal, required functions for survival. These include but not limited to producing ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate), breaking down food contents within the stomach chemically, carrying out digestion, detoxifying substances, maintaining homeostasis, completing protein synthesis, and performing normal functions of the brain. It is significantly important for people to be aware how alcohol affects the most vital organ of their bodies due to the lifestyle decisions they choose to make. Without knowing these facts, they are setting their own lives at risk as they as unaware of the damage they are doing to their own bodies that will affect them sooner than later.
Works Cited
"Alcohol and Your Body." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 09 Dec. 2011. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Alcohol Effects on the Liver." Alcohol and Health:. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2013.
"Alcoholic Liver Disease - Symptoms ." Alcoholic Liver Disease. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Alcoholic Liver Disease." Alcoholic Liver Disease Treatment. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Liver Damage Affects Brain." Beyond Hangovers. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Liver." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 May 2013. Web. 29 May 2013.
"Liver Disease." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 09 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 May 2013.
"Alcohol - It 's Effect on Your Body and Health." Alcohol - It 's Effect on Your Body and Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.
"What Happens to Your Liver as a Result of Drinking." What Happens to Your Liver as a Result of Drinking. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2013.