Prevention of alcohol toxicity by adequate nutrients: Mechanism and potential application

Abstract

A high blood alcohol level is necessary but not sufficient for the expression of ethanol's toxic effects on the liver, pancreas, etc. The 26% alcohol liquid diet apparently abates the toxic effects of ethanol observed when the 36% alcohol diet is fed to rats by holding the blood alcohol concentration below that achieved with the 36% alcohol diet. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism whereby the 26% alcohol liquid diet holds down the blood alcohol level. The area under the blood alcohol concentration versus time curve (AUC) was measured in rats intubated with the 26% alcohol diet. From this data a power function relation relating dose of alcohol and the AUC was derived. The hourly ingestion of liquid diet by rats fed either the 26% or 36% liquid alcohol diet was determined for 42 hours. The quantity of ethanol ingested per kg body weight over the 42 h time period was not significantly different between rats fed the 26% and those fed the 36% alcohol diets. However, the blood alcohol concentrations after 34 h (2 AM) and 41 h (9 AM) and the AUC calculated by the power function relations from the temporal ingestion of the diets were significantly different between rats ingesting the 36% and 26% alcohol diets. The mechanism whereby the blood alcohol level is held down when the 26% alcohol diet is fed involves four factors. First, lower alcohol dose is necessarily ingested per volume of diet with the 26% alcohol diet than with the 36% alcohol diet. Second, this study showed that a significant decrease in the AUC occurs when the 26% alcohol diet is ingested compared to alcohol without diet. Third, the AUC is a nonlinear power function of the alcohol dose. And fourth, we found a temporal difference in the ingestion of the alcohol dose which results in a smaller calculated AUC when the 26% alcohol diet is fed than when the 36% alcohol diet is fed. First-pass alcohol metabolism which is increased by nutrients occurs in the human. It is therefore possible that the ingestion of a food bar, containing all nutrients in the proportions in which they are recommended for the human, simultaneous with the ingestion of each ethanol drink, would also result in significantly lower blood alcohol levels and hence reduced toxicity in the human.