Liver-Doctor-Hepatitis-LogoThe liver is the primary site for metabolising and breaking down alcohol. The liver detoxifies alcohol through a process called oxidation. Oxidation prevents the alcohol from accumulating and damaging your cells and body organs. A healthy liver oxidizes pure alcohol (ethanol) at the rate of about ⅓ of an ounce (10mls) per hour, which is less than 1 ounce (30mls) of hard liquor.

Once alcohol is in the blood stream, your body makes getting rid of it the top priority and will stop metabolizing anything else in order to first get the alcohol metabolized. The reason for this is because unlike protein, carbohydrates, and fat, there is nowhere for alcohol to be stored in our body so it has to be metabolized first.

Excess alcohol is very toxic to human cells because it is broken down into a substance called acetaldehyde which is even more toxic than alcohol itself. Acetaldehyde is not created until the alcohol reaches the liver.

The acetaldehyde is then broken down by another liver enzyme called acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and the antioxidant enzymes containing glutathione. Acting synergistically, the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and the glutathione, turn the toxic acetaldehyde into non toxic acetate. Acetate is a substance found in vinegar.

If you have a healthy liver, and it is working normally, this process works efficiently, giving the acetaldehyde only a short amount of time to damage cells IF only safe amounts of alcohol are consumed. But the liver's stores of glutathione rapidly run out if large amounts of alcohol are consumed quickly.  This causes the toxic acetaldehyde to build up in the body for long periods of time. Much more damage occurs to your cells, especially the cells in your liver, kidneys and brain.

In a liver which has been compromised by hepatitis B or C infections, introducing further toxins by drinking alcohol becomes a somewhat risky proposition.  There is certainly conflicting research over the benefits of drinking alcohol or whether to abstain altogether. One fact that is not debatable is that heavy alcohol use worsens hepatitis C and B infections.

It is true that many people suffering from hepatitis infections have unwittingly undermined their livers through heavy drinking and may in fact have difficulty controlling their addiction to alcohol. If controlling the consumption of alcohol is difficult for you, then abstinence is the best policy. If you are an alcoholic – one drink is too many and 1000 drinks are not enough! Alcohol may increase the damage to your liver and may cause liver scarring (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.  It may also make hepatitis treatments less effective and even interact with other medications.

So ideally, it may be best not to have any alcohol at all.

For some people however, it may be possible to limit your intake of alcohol so as to reduce the possibility of further damage to your liver.

If you have hepatitis, it is recommended that you drink no more than ONE standard drink per day, and have at least four alcohol-free days per week.

If you have liver scarring (cirrhosis) or liver failure, then it is recommended that you have NO ALCOHOL at all.

Controlling Your Intake

  • Commit to your limit of one standard drink per day.
  • Have four alcohol-free days per week.
  • Switch to low-alcohol or alcohol-free drinks.
  • Mix beer with lemonade.
  • Make a “spritzer” (mix or dilute wine with mineral water).
  • Continue to drink plenty of water – rehydrate your body.

One Standard Drink

In the United States, one standard drink contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in:

  • 12 ounces of regular beer, which is usually about 5% alcohol.
  • 5 ounces of wine, which is typically about 12% alcohol.
  • 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, which is about 40% alcohol.

Remember to take a good liver formula like LivaTone Plus everyday to help protect your liver against toxins including alcohol. We recommend a powerful liver tonic that contains the herb milk thistle, B vitamins, NAC, glutathione, taurine, selenium and antioxidants.

 

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.