Transcript Nutrition Now J. Brown

Chapter 8
Alcohol and
Nutrition
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Ask Yourself
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine,
and a 1-ounce shot of tequila all contain the
same amount of alcohol.
The impact of alcohol on health depends
partly on whether you’re a man or a woman.
Burnt toast is a good hangover remedy.
Alcohol is calorie-free.
Regular drinkers become more tolerant of
the effects of alcohol, so they must drink
more to feel the effects of alcohol.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Ask Yourself
6.
Reflexes are not impaired if your blood
alcohol concentration is below the legal limit
of intoxication.
7. It is safe for a pregnant woman to have one
alcoholic beverage a day.
8. Drinking alcohol may be associated with an
increased risk of breast cancer.
9. Moderate drinking can reduce the risk of
heart disease.
10. Heavy drinking is defined as more than two
drinks a day for women and more than four
drinks a day for men.
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What Is Alcohol
• A sedative and central
nervous system
depressant.
• Supplies energy (7
calories/ gram).
• A non-nutrient that is
not stored in the
body.
Alcohol: a clear, colorless volatile
liquid; the most commonly ingested
form is ethyl alcohol or ethanol (EtOH).
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Absorption and Metabolism
of Alcohol
• Alcohol absorption involves the stomach
and the small intestine.
 Alcohol absorbed in the small intestine
passes through the portal vein to the liver.
• Alcohol dehydrogenase: a liver
enzyme that mediates the metabolism
of alcohol.
• Acetaldehyde (ass-et-AL-duh-hide):
a substance to which drinking alcohol
(ethanol) is metabolized.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Absorption and Metabolism
of Alcohol
Influencing Factors:
• Food
 Presence of food in the stomach slows absorption.
 Dietary fat delays emptying time of the stomach.
• Gender
 Men and women absorb and metabolize alcohol
differently.
 Women will absorb 30% more alcohol into the
bloodstream.
 Women are more susceptible to alcoholic liver disease,
heart muscle damage and brain damage.
• Ethnicity
 Native Americans have higher rates of liver damage due
to alcohol consumption.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Absorption and Metabolism
of Alcohol
• Women have a lower
capacity to metabolize
alcohol because:
 Body composition – have
less water in their bodies
 Enzymes – alcohol
dehydrogenase is $0% less
active in women’s stomachs
 Hormones – alcohol can
change estrogen levels,
increasing breast cancer risk
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
O.B.S.E.R.V.E.
• On certain medications or have
certain illnesses
• Behind the wheel or engaged in
tasks requiring full mental or
physical functioning
• Stressed out or tired
• Either the son, daughter, or sibling
of an alcoholic
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O.B.S.E.R.V.E.
• Recovering from alcohol abuse or
drug dependency
• Violating laws, policies, or values
• Expecting, nursing, or considering
pregnancy
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Alcohol and Its Effects
• Alcohol is distributed
quickly and
thoroughly in the
body.
• It can affect the
central nervous
system even in small
concentrations.
• Even small amounts
in the blood can slow
reactions.
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Alcohol and Its Effects
•
Alcohol is rightly
termed an
anesthetic because it
puts brain centers to
sleep in order:
1. Cortex
2. Emotiongoverning centers
3. Centers that
govern muscular
control
4. Deep centers that
control respiration
and heartbeat
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Alcohol and Its Effects
• Alcohol and Medications
 Use of prescription or over-the-counter
medications can increase the effects of
alcohol.
 Chronic, heavy drinking appears to activate
an enzyme that may be responsible for
changing the over-the-counter pain reliever
acetaminophen and many others into
chemicals that can produce liver damage,
even when taken in recommended doses.
• Alcohol and Sex Hormones
 Alcohol alters the sex hormones in men and
women.
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Alcohol and Its Effects
• Alcohol and Urine Output: Alcohol
blocks antidiuretic hormone (ADH) leading to
water loss and eventual dehydration.
• Alcohol and Hangovers: A group of
ailments including headache, nausea,
vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, dry
mouth and irritability.
• Alcohol and Blood Alcohol Level
(BAL): BAL indicates the amount of alcohol
in the bloodstream.
 BAL is affect by amount and speed at which alcohol
is consumed.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Alcohol and Its Effects
• Alcohol and Driving: Never drink and
drive.
 Even one drink can impair your response time.
 In most states, the legal limit for driving is 0.08.
 If this limit is exceeded, the drive could receive a
DUI or DWI, which is a felony in some states.
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Alcohol and Its Effects
• Alcohol and Tolerance: Continued
exposure to alcohol causes increased
tolerance.
 Tolerance: decrease of effectiveness of drug after
a period of prolonged or heavy use.
 Metabolic tolerance: increased efficiency of
removing high levels of alcohol from the blood due to
long-term exposure leading to more drinking and
possible addiction.
 Functional tolerance: action change in
sensitivity to a drug resulting in hallucinations and
convulsions when alcohol is removed.
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Alcohol and Its Effects
Alcohol and Tolerance (continued):
• Alcohol abuse (problem drinker): a
person who experiences psychological, social,
family, employment, or school problems
because of alcohol. Problem drinkers often
binge drink and turn to alcohol when facing
problems or making decisions.
• Alcohol dependency (alcoholism): a
dependency on alcohol marked by compulsive,
uncontrollable drinking with negative effects
on physical health, family relationships, and
social health.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Alcohol and Its Effects
Impact of Alcohol on Nutrition
• If you are in good health and otherwise well
nourished, the occasional consumption of
alcohol will probably have little effect on your
nutritional status.
 Alcohol and mixers can contribute additional calories
which can cause unwanted weight gain.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Alcohol and Its Effects
Impact of Alcohol on Nutrition
• Excessive intake of alcohol on a regular basis
will compromise your nutritional status.
 Protein deficiency can develop:
• Depression of protein synthesis in the cells.
• Substituting alcohol for food, resulting in poor diet.
 Stomach cells become inflamed and vulnerable to
ulcer formation.
 Intestinal cells fail to absorb vitamins.
 Liver cells lose efficiency in activating vitamin D, and
the production and excretion of bile is altered.
 Lowered red blood cell formation due to
acetaldehyde interfering with metabolism.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Health Benefits of Alcohol
• Drinking moderate amounts appears to be
healthy for people who do not have problems
with alcohol abuse or dependency.
• People who consume one to two drinks daily
have lower mortality rates than nondrinkers.
• Like any other drug, there is a beneficial dose
and a level (dose) that will cause harm.
• Most research indicates wine consumption to
be most beneficial; it appears that the benefits
are from the alcohol itself.
 The protective effect is the result of
increased levels of high-density lipoprotein
(HDL) cholesterol.
 It also inhibits blood from forming clots,
reducing risk of death from heart attack.
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Health Risks of Alcohol
• Moderate consumption is not risk free,
especially for young adults.
 Increased Accidents: falls, motor vehicle
accidents, homicide, and victims of crime.
 Drug Interactions: Drugs, like alcohol, are
metabolized in the liver.
• Drugs: substances that can modify one or more
of the body’s functions.
• Liver has limited processing capacity and drugs
and alcohol will compete with each other.
• Increased risk of medication side effects.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Health Risks of Alcohol
•
•
•
•
Night blindness
Breast cancer
Other cancers
High blood
pressure
(hypertension)
and stroke
• Pancreatitis
• Gastrointestinal
symptoms
• Brain damage
• Decreased sex
hormone
production
• Anemia
• Emotional and
social problems
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Health Risks of Alcohol
• Liver Damage
 Alcoholic hepatitis: inflammation and
injury to the liver due to excess alcohol
consumption.
 Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver): a chronic,
degenerative disease of the liver in which
the liver cells become infiltrated with fibrous
tissues; blood flow through the liver is
obstructed, causing back pressure and
eventually leading to coma and death
unless the cause of the disease is removed;
the most common cause of cirrhosis is
chronic alcohol abuse.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Pros and Cons
of Alcohol Consumption
• Compare your age and gender to the leading
causes of death for those of similar ages and
gender.
 The leading causes of death for men under the
age of 40 years and women under the age of
50 (premenopausal) are accidents and breast
cancer, respectively.
• In this case, risks of low to moderate
alcohol consumption outweigh the benefits.
 Leading cause of death for men over the age
of 40 years and women over the age of 50
years is heart disease.
• In this case, the benefits of low to
moderate alcohol consumption outweigh
risks.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Alcohol Abuse
• Alcoholism is a dependency on
alcohol characterized by craving (a
strong need to drink), loss of
control (being unable to stop
drinking despite a desire to do so),
physical dependence and
withdrawal symptoms, and
tolerance (increased difficulty of
becoming drunk).
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Alcohol Abuse
• Use: ingestion of alcohol or other drugs
without experiencing any negative
consequences.
• Misuse: a person experiences negative
consequences from his/her use of alcohol or
other drugs.
• Abuse: continued use of alcohol or other
drugs in spite of negative consequences.
• Dependency/Addiction: compulsive use of
alcohol or other drugs regardless of adverse or
negative consequences.
 Needs professional help
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What Is a Drink?
According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans, “If you drink alcoholic beverages, do
so in moderation.”
Moderation is defined as the following:
• Men: No more than two drinks per day
• Women: No more than one drink per day
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Alcohol is alcohol is alcohol. It
does not matter if the beverage
of choice is beer, wine, wine
cooler, a cocktail, or a mixed drink.
What Is a
Drink?
• 12 ounces of regular beer
• 5 ounces of wine
• 1 ½ ounces of 80-proof
distilled spirits
• 12 ounces of wine/malt
or spirit-based cooler
• 3 ounces of sherry or port
• 9.75 ounces of malt liquor
It’s really how much that counts.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
People who should not drink
alcoholic beverages:
• Children and adolescents
• Individuals of any age who cannot restrict their
drinking to moderate levels
• Women who may become pregnant or who are
pregnant. A safe alcohol intake has not been
established for women at any time during
pregnancy, including the first few weeks.
• Individuals who plan to drive, operate
machinery, or take part in other activities that
require attention, skill, or coordination. Most
people retain some alcohol in their blood up to 2
to 3 hours after a single drink.
• Individuals taking prescription or over-thecounter medications that can interact with
alcohol.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)?
A pattern of birth defects found in the children of
mothers who drank alcohol during pregnancy.
• One of the primary sources of birth defects in the
U.S.
• Most common source of preventable birth defects.
Defined by four criteria:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Maternal drinking during pregnancy
Characteristic pattern of facial abnormalities
Growth retardation
Brain damage including intellectual difficulties or
behavioral problems
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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Typical traits of FAS…
 Small eyes with drooping
upper lids
 Short upturned nose, flat
cheeks
 Undeveloped groove in
center of upper lip
 Mental Retardation,
impaired learning …
 Memory problems,
seizures …
• Irreversible abnormalities of
the brain and other organs
FAS is completely preventable
if pregnant women do not drink
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Targeted media campaigns can help increase public
awareness of the adverse effects of alcohol use during
pregnancy.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Preventing FAS
• Alcohol passes from the mother to the baby
through the placenta.
• No quantity of alcohol use during pregnancy
has been established to be safe.
• Especially hazardous drinking patterns for FAS
include women who drink frequently and
women who binge drink.
• FAS is completely preventable.
 Women who are pregnant should stop drinking
immediately.
 Women who are trying to conceive should not drink
alcohol.
© 2007 Thomson - Wadsworth