How Alcohol Affects The Human Body
To understanding the metabolism of alcohol, we should know that what is alcohol, how is it affect human body. Alcohol is being considered one of the most commonly used drugs because it has adverse impacts on human’s health through how it’s metabolized.
Alcohol is a compound of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen, which can be combined in many different ways. The commonest as known as ethyl ethanol, which is a specific alcohol compound (C2H5OH) and formed from the fermentation of yeast, sugars and starches. This alcoholic formation also releases carbon dioxide (Simon, Reece, Dickey 2010, p.103). The compounds of alcohols are structurally similar to carbohydrates, consist one or more hydroxyl (OH) group. Ethanol is the …show more content…
This process occurs primarily in the liver. Through oxidation, the acetic acid then is converted to acetic acid radical which is a poison and relatives to formaldehyde. This acetic acid radical combines with enzymes in the liver and enters the Krebs Cycle which is the second stage of cellular respiration, also referred to as citric acid cycle that is fueled by acetyl CoA formed after glycolysis in cellular respiration. Chemical reactions in the cycle complete the metabolic breakdown of glucose molecules to carbon dioxide and water (Simon, 2010, p.G-5). The cycle occurs in the matrix of mitochondria and supplies most of the NADH molecules that carry energy to the electron transport chains (Simon, 2010, …show more content…
When teens and young adults chronically consume excessive amounts of alcohol, they may permanently damage brain structure and function. (Thompson, Manore, 2008) Their intellectual function and memory may lose. In addition, early exposure to alcohol increases risk of future alcohol addiction and may contribute to lifelong deficits in memory, motor skills, and muscle coordination (NIAAA., Alcohol Alert, No. 68, April 2006.) Older males’ bodies have lower possibility to produce alcohol dehydrogenase. If drink same amount of alcohol, older males are more intoxicated than younger men. Menopausal women hormone changes obviously, which lead women to tend to more intoxicated than younger women at same amount of alcohol. People with liver damage also tend to more intoxicated because of their liver do not work as good as normal livers, they tend to produce less alcohol dehydrogenase. However, the frequent heavy drinkers tend to less intoxicated on larger amount of alcohol because their livers used to produce more alcohol dehydrogenase to break down the acetic
Alcohol is a compound of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen, which can be combined in many different ways. The commonest as known as ethyl ethanol, which is a specific alcohol compound (C2H5OH) and formed from the fermentation of yeast, sugars and starches. This alcoholic formation also releases carbon dioxide (Simon, Reece, Dickey 2010, p.103). The compounds of alcohols are structurally similar to carbohydrates, consist one or more hydroxyl (OH) group. Ethanol is the …show more content…
This process occurs primarily in the liver. Through oxidation, the acetic acid then is converted to acetic acid radical which is a poison and relatives to formaldehyde. This acetic acid radical combines with enzymes in the liver and enters the Krebs Cycle which is the second stage of cellular respiration, also referred to as citric acid cycle that is fueled by acetyl CoA formed after glycolysis in cellular respiration. Chemical reactions in the cycle complete the metabolic breakdown of glucose molecules to carbon dioxide and water (Simon, 2010, p.G-5). The cycle occurs in the matrix of mitochondria and supplies most of the NADH molecules that carry energy to the electron transport chains (Simon, 2010, …show more content…
When teens and young adults chronically consume excessive amounts of alcohol, they may permanently damage brain structure and function. (Thompson, Manore, 2008) Their intellectual function and memory may lose. In addition, early exposure to alcohol increases risk of future alcohol addiction and may contribute to lifelong deficits in memory, motor skills, and muscle coordination (NIAAA., Alcohol Alert, No. 68, April 2006.) Older males’ bodies have lower possibility to produce alcohol dehydrogenase. If drink same amount of alcohol, older males are more intoxicated than younger men. Menopausal women hormone changes obviously, which lead women to tend to more intoxicated than younger women at same amount of alcohol. People with liver damage also tend to more intoxicated because of their liver do not work as good as normal livers, they tend to produce less alcohol dehydrogenase. However, the frequent heavy drinkers tend to less intoxicated on larger amount of alcohol because their livers used to produce more alcohol dehydrogenase to break down the acetic