Where Does Alcohol Go in the Body?
Alcohol is one of the very few substances which goes into the bloodstream directly from the stomach. Most of the other foods and prescription drugs travel right up the intestines before passing into the blood. After reaching the blood it goes to other parts of the body, but the liver is where it is primarily metabolized or broken down, to carbon dioxide and water.
Is it a Food? Yes, it is, but incomplete and expensive! It provides energy more quickly than any other food. It is rich in calories and carries 7 calories per gram, while carbohydrates and fats provide 4 and 9 calories per gram, respectively. A bottle of beer (650 ml) contains 250 calories, while 100 ml of whisky carries 400 calories. Since it does not require any digestion, it can serve as a ready source of energy. However, due to its quick metabolism, the energy cannot be stored and are called ‘empty calories’. A normal person metabolizes about 109 of alcohol (a small peg of whisky) in 1 hour, and if the intake is limited to one peg per hour, one may never get drunk and the blood concentration will not rise beyond 0.1 %.
Does it Make You Fat? Since alcohol provides readily available energy, it spares carbohydrates, proteins, and fats from their breakdown for the supply of energy, and even normal diet along with alcohol, tends to make a person fat. Ordinarily one eats more after consuming alcohol and if this becomes a regular habit, it soon leads to obesity.
