Alcohol is a clear,
colorless, volatile liquid that provides 7 calories per gram but is
not a nutrient. Alcohol is very soluble in water and is not stored in
the body. Approximately 20% of alcohol is absorbed in the stomach and
the rest is absorbed in the small intestine. Alcohol that is absorbed
through the small intestine is then metabolized by the liver. The
liver can only process so much alcohol per hour and anything not
being metabolized is carried throughout the blood, affecting the
brain and various tissues.
There are certain
factors that affect the absorption and metabolism of alcohol. The
first factor is the presence of food in the stomach. If food is
present, the rate at which alcohol is absorbed will be slowed. The
next factor is gender. Women absorb 30% more alcohol into the
bloodstream than men. Even if body weight for a man and woman are the
same, one drink for the woman could have the same effect as two
drinks for the man. The last factor is ethnicity. Native Americans
are more likely to develop liver damage from alcohol consumption.
Drinking alcohol
should be done in moderation. It is recommended that men do not
exceed more than 2 drinks per day and women do not exceed more than 1
drink per day. Even though alcohol often gets a bad name, it can have
benefits to the heart. It has been believed that wine is the
healthiest alcoholic beverage to consume, but research shows that
moderate drinking (one drink per day) of any type of alcoholic
beverage has benefits.
Heart disease is the
number one cause of death in the world. Alcohol has a protective
factor for the heart. Consuming alcohol increases levels of
HDL-cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and can in turn remove build
up from the arteries. Alcohol also prevents blood from forming clots
which reduces the risk of heart attack.
There are different
types of drinks and different measurements for what counts as “a
drink”. 12 ounces of beer or wine/malt or spirit-based cooler, 5
ounces of wine, 1 ½ ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits, 3 ounces
of sherry or port, and 9 ¾ ounces of malt liquor all constitute as
one drink.
It is important to
consider the calories in each type of drink. The average regular beer
has 150 calories. Light beer contains about 100 calories. Wine
coolers have about 170 calories. 5 ounces of table wine has about 100
calories. 80-proof distilled spirits have about 100 calories per
serving. 3 ounces of sherry or port has about 130 calories and 9 ¾
ounces of malt liquor has about 135 calories.
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