How is alcohol made?

Alcohol, also known as ethanol, is made through a process called

fermentation. During fermentation, yeast breaks sugar down into ethanol
and carbon dioxide. This process is done without any air present and once
complete, the carbon dioxide gas bubbles out into the air, leaving ethanol
and water behind. Distilled spirits, such as vodka, rum, gin, and whiskey,
are fermented and then distilled to separate the ethanol from the water.

Various sources of sugar are used in these processes, resulting in different

forms of alcohol. The sugar from crushed grapes is used to make wine;
malted barley is used to make beer; sugar cane or molasses makes rum;
grain, potatoes, beets, molasses, and a variety of other plants are used to
make vodka.

The technique used to make the beverage will determine the alcohol
content. You will see the percentage of alcohol per volume listed on the
bottle, as well as the proof of the drink. The proof of a beverage is twice the
alcohol content, so a drink with 12% alcohol per volume is 24 proof.
Generally, a 12-ounce glass of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and a 1.5-
ounce shot of liquor all contain a ½ ounce of pure alcohol and are
considered one drink.

How is alcohol metabolized?

Have you ever wondered why you feel the way that you do after drinking
alcohol? The effects that alcohol has on your health start with how it's
metabolized. Once alcohol is in your system, your body makes
metabolizing it a priority. That means that it will stop metabolizing anything
else in order to take care of the alcohol. This happens because unlike
protein, carbohydrates, and fat, there is nowhere for alcohol to be stored in
our body.

Once alcohol enters your stomach, up to 20% of it can be absorbed there

and go directly into your bloodstream. Within minutes, alcohol will reach
your brain and give the feeling of being a stimulant. No other food or
beverage in your diet is able to do this. The remaining alcohol goes to
your intestines and is absorbed there with the rest of the nutrients. A small
amount of alcohol is excreted through sweat, saliva, urine, and your breath,
which is how it is detected by a Breathalyzer.

Your liver is the primary site for alcohol metabolism; this is why you can
have liver problems from consuming too much alcohol. Alcohol is detoxified
and removed from the blood through a process called oxidation. Oxidation
prevents the alcohol from accumulating and destroying cells and organs. A
healthy liver oxidizes pure ethanol at the rate of about ¼ to ⅓ of an ounce
per hour, which is less than 1 ounce of hard liquor.

When you drink alcohol, your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will rise
rapidly. Within about 10 minutes of having a drink, there's enough alcohol
in your blood to measure. The BAC is determined by how quickly alcohol is
absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted. The following factors can
influence the BAC:

 Gender
 Race
 Food consumed with the alcohol
 Chronic alcohol consumption
 Drinking pattern
  Medications

Having one standard drink will result in a peak in BAC within 35 to 45

minutes. A 150-pound person with normal liver function metabolizes about
7 to 14 grams of alcohol per hour, which is approximately 100 to 200 mg/kg
of body weight per hour. This is comparable to 8 to 12 ounces of beer or
half of an alcoholic drink. Controlling the rate of consumption will give your
liver time to metabolize the alcohol and limit your BAC. Once you stop
drinking, your blood alcohol level decreases by about 0.01% per hour. You
are legally intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8. Time is the
only way to eliminate alcohol from your system, so coldshowers and coffee
will not sober you up. Trying to get someone who is drunk to feel and
appear more alert can cause a false sense of sobriety to the person
drinking and everyone around them

How is alcohol metabolized?

Have you ever wondered why you feel the way that you do after drinking
alcohol? The effects that alcohol has on your health start with how it's
metabolized. Once alcohol is in your system, your body makes
metabolizing it a priority. That means that it will stop metabolizing anything
else in order to take care of the alcohol. This happens because unlike
protein, carbohydrates, and fat, there is nowhere for alcohol to be stored in
our body.

Once alcohol enters your stomach, up to 20% of it can be absorbed there

and go directly into your bloodstream. Within minutes, alcohol will reach
your brain and give the feeling of being a stimulant. No other food or
beverage in your diet is able to do this. The remaining alcohol goes to
your intestines and is absorbed there with the rest of the nutrients. A small
amount of alcohol is excreted through sweat, saliva, urine, and your breath,
which is how it is detected by a Breathalyzer.

Your liver is the primary site for alcohol metabolism; this is why you can
have liver problems from consuming too much alcohol. Alcohol is detoxified
and removed from the blood through a process called oxidation. Oxidation
prevents the alcohol from accumulating and destroying cells and organs. A
healthy liver oxidizes pure ethanol at the rate of about ¼ to ⅓ of an ounce
per hour, which is less than 1 ounce of hard liquor.

When you drink alcohol, your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will rise
rapidly. Within about 10 minutes of having a drink, there's enough alcohol
in your blood to measure. The BAC is determined by how quickly alcohol is
absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted. The following factors can
influence the BAC:

 Gender
 Race
 Food consumed with the alcohol
 Chronic alcohol consumption
 Drinking pattern
 Medications

Having one standard drink will result in a peak in BAC within 35 to 45

minutes. A 150-pound person with normal liver function metabolizes about
7 to 14 grams of alcohol per hour, which is approximately 100 to 200 mg/kg
of body weight per hour. This is comparable to 8 to 12 ounces of beer or
half of an alcoholic drink. Controlling the rate of consumption will give your
liver time to metabolize the alcohol and limit your BAC. Once you stop
drinking, your blood alcohol level decreases by about 0.01% per hour. You
are legally intoxicated with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.8. Time is the
only way to eliminate alcohol from your system, so coldshowers and coffee
will not sober you up. Trying to get someone who is drunk to feel and
appear more alert can cause a false sense of sobriety to the person
drinking and everyone around them

What is alcohol's effect on weight?

Are you guaranteed to gain weight by consuming alcohol? No. Does this
mean that it has no impact on your weight? No. Weight gain comes down
to taking in more calories than your body needs. When you consume
alcohol, you are consuming calories. When those calories take you above
the level that your body needs, you gain weight. Along with the calories,
there may be even more ways that alcohol can lead to weight gain.

Research has shown both a positive and negative association between

alcohol consumption and weight or BMI. Heavy drinking and binge drinking
appear to be most likely to contribute to weight gain while light to moderate
intake does not appear to be related. The studies vary in how they define
each of these categories, and people are not always accurate about what
they report. When it comes to your weight, it will come down to total
calories consumed. In food, one gram of protein has 4 kcal; one gram of
carbohydrates has 4 kcal; and one gram of fat has 9 kcal. With alcohol, one
gram has 7 kcal. This can add up very quickly, especially with mixed drinks.

It's easy to forget that you can drink as many calories as you eat. In fact,
some drinks can have as many calories as a meal! Check out how many
calories you can get from your favorite cocktail below. Remember to check
the serving size and to add the calories from any juice or soda that is
combined with the liquor:

The next time you reach for a cocktail before your meal, consider if it's
worth the weight that you could be gaining from it. Research has shown a
20% increase in calories consumed at a meal when alcohol was consumed
before the meal. There was a total caloric increase of 33% when the
calories from the alcohol were added. Along with the increase in weight,
you can have an increased risk to your health because of where you gain
the weight. A study of over 3,000 people showed that consuming elevated
amounts of alcohol is associated with abdominal obesity in men. Many
people joke about this being a "beer belly." Unfortunately, a "beer belly"
puts you at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, elevated blood lipids,
hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

The late-night munchies are often associated with a night of drinking. Have
you ever realized that any time that you drink alcohol you are hungrier or
you end up eating more than usual? Studies have shown that in the short
term, alcohol consumption stimulates food intake and can also increase
feelings of hunger. Having your judgment impaired and stimulating your
appetite is a recipe for failure if you are trying to follow a weight-control
plan.

The form that alcohol comes in can also be part of the reason why you can
gain weight from drinking. This applies to all liquids that contain calories.
Research has shown that liquid calories are different than calories
consumed from food when it comes to our weight. Imagine eating three to
four oranges versus drinking an 8 oz glass of orange juice. The oranges
take longer to consume because you need the time to chew, and you may
also enjoy the taste and feel more than with drinking the juice, all of which
can lead to feeling more satisfied with the food and more aware of the
calories being consumed. Being aware of the calories can then lead you to
cut back later on in the day, a practice known as leading to what is called
dietary compensation. One study compared the effects of ~450 kcal from
jelly beans versus juice on total caloric intake. They found that people
tended to cut back on calories during the day when they had jelly beans,
but not when they drank the juice.

Here are some tips for calorie reduction when consuming alcohol:

 Have one nonalcoholic drink in between each alcoholic drink.

 Select light versions whenever possible. "Light" means fewer
calories, but these products are not calorie- or alcohol-free, so you
will still need to limit your intake.
 Always have food in your stomach before you have a drink.
 Keep water available to quench your thirst while you drink alcoholic
beverages.
 Learn to sip your drink to make it last longer.

How does alcohol affect your blood sugar?

The sugar in our blood, also known as blood glucose, is used for growth
and energy. Blood glucose comes from the foods that we eat, the
breakdown of the glucose stored in our muscles (glycogen), and it can also
be made from other nutrients in the body. The primary hormones involved
in maintaining a healthy blood glucose level are insulin and glucagon.
Normally, when your blood sugar begins to drop, your body can respond by
making more blood sugar or burning up stored sugar. And when your blood
sugar begins to rise, additional insulin is secreted to bring your levels back
to a healthy range.

Alcohol is considered a poison by your body, and all efforts are made to
excrete it, including the cessation of maintaining healthy blood glucose
levels. Studies have shown that alcohol

interferes with all three sources of glucose and the hormones needed to
maintain healthy blood glucose levels. The greatest impact is seen in those
who drink heavily on a frequent basis. Heavy drinkers deplete their
glycogen stores within a few hours when their diet does not provide a
sufficient amount of carbohydrates. Over time, excessive alcohol
consumption can decrease insulin's effectiveness, resulting in high blood
sugar levels. One study showed that 45%-70% of people with alcoholic
liver disease had either glucose intolerance or diabetes.

Alcohol can also negatively impact blood sugar levels each time that it is
consumed, regardless of the frequency of consumption. Research has
shown that acute consumption increases insulin secretion, causing low
blood sugar (hypoglycemia), and can also impair the hormonal response
that would normally rectify the low blood sugar. Drinking as little as 2
ounces of alcohol on an empty stomach can lead to very low blood sugar
levels. This makes alcohol an even bigger problem for anyone with
diabetes. Along with the impact on blood sugar, studies have also shown
that alcohol can impact the effectiveness of the hypoglycemic medications,
so extreme caution needs to be taken when consuming alcohol by anyone
with diabetes.
There is also an increased risk of problems when combining exercise and
alcohol. It is not uncommon for people to go out for a drink after playing
sports (for example, hockey, soccer, tennis) or to consume some alcoholic
beverages while playing. Your blood sugar levels naturally drop during
exercise, and your body is working on replacing your glycogen stores once
you are finished. Consuming alcohol during this time will halt this process
and can cause blood sugar levels to stay at an unhealthy level.

Alcohol can wreak havoc on a system that is in place for your health and
well-being. Excessively low or high blood sugar levels have long-term
consequences. If you choose to consume alcohol, here are some tips to
help avoid this problem.

 Never drink on an empty stomach.

 Start with nonalcoholic beverages to satisfy your thirst and continue
to have one available while you consume alcohol.
 Limit the amount that you drink.
 You can make a drink last longer and lower the impact that it will
have on your blood sugars by having a wine spritzer.
 If you have diabetes, speak with your physician about how alcohol
will affect your medication(s).
 Consume beverages without alcohol during and after exercise.