EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL ON NUTRITION

INTRODUCTION: Alcohol also sometimes referred to as the demon drink is one of the most commonly consumed and abused drink in all nations.  It is thought that some moderate quantities of this monster drink poses beneficial effects on the body systems however, because of the potential for addiction and drug dependance, it is discouraged by many in our communities.  Continuous intake of alcohol on a daily basis and in large quantities lead to development of condition known and Chronic alcoholism that comes with various health concerns some of which, are deficiency in minerals and ions in the body. 

In this article, we are going to look at some of the mineral and ion deficiencies that affect people consuming large amounts of alcoholic beverages.  This is one of the series of discussions related to drug abuse and the human body.  Our discussion on alcohol started earlier and if you did not start with us, you can find more about the previous topics by clicking on the link below; Alcohol and the human body  Chronic alcoholics run considerable risk of nutritional deficiencies for most of the food nutrients. The most common problems are neurologic symptoms associated with thiamine or pyridoxine deficiencies and hematological problems associated with folate or pyridoxine deficiencies.

ORIGIN OF DEFICIENCIES: Although it is well known that chronic alcohol abusers tends to have reduced appetite, it should be noted that the deficiencies seen with alcoholics are not necessarily due to this effect and or poor diet alone, although it is often a strong contributing factor. Alcohol causes pathological alterations of the gastrointestinal tract that often directly interfere with absorption of certain nutrients and or impaired distribution of others as we are going to see.  It should always be remembered that long term consumption of alcohol leads to development of ulcerative intestinal conditions including but not limited to peptic ulcer disease and gastritis.  

The continued corrosion of the intestinal walls causes disruption of the nutrient absorbing surface area and disruption in the chemical environment that frequently leads to nausea and vomiting, all of which alters the metabolic processes.

INVOLVEMENT OF THE LIVER: So much we have discussed about the human liver and it's role in the human body plus, the conditions that affect it.  In case you have not been following me, you can use the links below to read more about the liver.  The liver is one of the most important sites of activation and storage of many vitamins.  In fact in the liver alone, there are are always thousands of chemical reactions going on whose effects control the body. 

The severe liver damage associated with chronic alcoholism appears to interfere directly with storage and activation of certain nutrients. Alcohol appears to interfere directly with folate absorption and alcoholic cirrhosis impairs storage of this nutrient.  To understand more about the way such processes are affected, you can read more about the functions of the liver from here.

It is also astonishing to know that alcohol induced hepatitis is one of the leading causes of death in chronic and heavy alcohol drinkers.

NEURONAL INVOLVEMENT: The most sounding and intended effects of alcohol from mild enjoyment to toxicity occurs in the Central nervous system and the brain mainly.  Some alcoholics also develop a peripheral neuropathy that responds to pyridoxine supplementation. This problem appears to result from impaired activation and increased degradation of pyridoxine.  Pyridoxine is simply vitamin B6 and it is involved in the normal functioning of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.  The toxic effects of alcohol on the central nervous system is not only seen in chronic alcoholism but also, several individuals intentionally tend to drink, perceiving it that alcohol cures some sort of pain.  This is why the drug is taken as one of the most common Over The Counter Medications.

The most dramatic nutritionally related neurological disorder is Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome. This symptoms include mental disturbances, ataxia which is described as unsteady gait and lack of fine motor coordination, and uncoordinated eye movements.  This is especially true with acute intoxication of alcohol.

CARDIOVASCULAR INVOLVEMENT: Congestive heart failure similar to that seen with beriberi is also seen in a small number of these patients. While this syndrome may only account for a small percentage of alcohol related neurologic disorders, the response to supplemental thiamine is so dramatic that it is usually worth consideration.

CAUSES OF THIAMINE DEFICIENCY: The thiamine deficiency appears to arise primarily from impaired absorption, although alcoholic cirrhosis may also affect the storage of thiamine in the liver. While those are the most common nutritional deficiencies associated with alcoholism, deficiencies of almost any of the water soluble vitamins can occur and cases of alcoholic scurvy and pellagra are occasionally reported.

VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY: Chronic ethanol consumption causes an interesting redistribution of vitamin A stores in the body. Vitamin A stores in the liver are rapidly depleted while levels of vitamin A in the serum and other tissues may be normal or slightly elevated. Apparently, ethanol causes both increased mobilization of vitamin A from the liver and increased catabolism of liver vitamin A to inactive metabolites by the hepatic P450 enzyme system.

BONE AND CALCIUM DISTURBANCES: Alcoholic patients have decreased bone density and an increased incidence of osteoporosis. This probably relates to increased rate of metabolism of vitamin D to inactive products by an activated cytochrome P450 enzyme system. Dietary calcium intake is also often poor. In fact, alcoholics generally have decreased serum levels of zinc, calcium, and magnesium due to poor dietary intake and increased urinary losses.

ISSUES TO DO WITH IRON: Iron deficiency anemia is very rare unless there is gastrointestinal bleeding or chronic infection. In fact, excess iron is a more common problem with alcoholics. Many alcoholic beverages contain relatively high iron levels, and alcohol appears to enhance iron absorption.

SUMMERY:  In summery, chronic alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of ion and mineral deficiencies.  The most common pathophysiology is that it impairs absorption of many minerals from the gastrointestinal tract and increases elimination of those absorbed via urine.

RELATED;

1.  Alcohol and the human body

2.  The human liver

3.  Functions of the human liver

4.  Vitamin A

5.  Osteoporosis

6.  Calcium and the human body

7.  Dynamics of drugs and the human body

8.  Drug addiction and dependency 

9.  Over the counter medications

REFERENCES

DRUG SPECTRUM OF ACTIVITY

DRUG SPECTRUM OF ACTIVITY:  Today we have thousands of different types of drugs i different formulations treating different diseases.  But the question would be; Which drug is best in treating disease X?  And the immediate answer will be, there are several drugs that all can cure the same disease, X.  And then the next question will be; How do I choose from drug A, B, C, and D the best and affordable drug for myself and or the patient?  Then the answer will be; Before you think about affordability, look at the spectrum of activity for each specific drug and then choose accordingly.  In our discussion here, we are going to look at how specific drugs will be able to treat specific infections with maximum efficiency but before we continue, if you have not been following us, you may also be interested in reading about; Dynamics of drugs and the human body and Classification of drugs

When it comes to drug actions especially antimicrobial agents or dugs that kill microbes, there is a range of organisms onto which the drug will be effective.  Some drugs are capable of killing a wide range of microbes while others can just kill a few or even one strain of microbes.  In our discussion here, we are going to look at the range of microbes that can be killed by specific drugs but before we continue, if you have not been following us, you may want to read about classification of drugs that we discussed recently from the link below;  Classification od drugs

BROAD SPECTRUM ANTIBIOTICS:  As we continue looking at antimicrobial agents, we have drugs that can target several microbes and therefore such drugs can be given in multiples infections with various microbes.  These are collectively known as broad spectrum antibiotics.  If these are antibacterial let's say, they will be able to handle both gram positives and gram negative bacteria or even having a potential to tackle on acid fast bacilli too.  And we we have several classes of drugs here as we are going to be briefly mentioning a couple of them.

Previously we have been looking at the different types antibiotics basing on their mechanism of action and in some of our previous discussions we looked at classification of drugs basing on the microbes they act upon.  Some of the examples of broad spectrum antibiotics we can have here are specific to bacteria and they include but not limited to; 1) Metronidazole, a nitroimidazole that can be used to treat both bacteria and protozoa.

NARROW SPECTRUM ANTIBIOTICS:  So much we have seen when it comes to broad spectrum antibiotics, now let us look drugs with a narrow spectrum of activity.  These are drugs that are limited in action and they will be able to kill just a selected number of microbes.  In this set of drugs, we look at drugs like Isoniazid, which is almost entirely active on only mycobacteria.

RELATED;

1.  CLASSIFICATION OF DRUGS

2.  DYNAMICS OF DRUGS AND THE HUMAN BODY

3.  METRONIDAZOLE

4.  ISONIAZID

DRUG RECEPTORS

DRUG RECEPTORS:  In some of our previous discussions, we have looked at classification of drugs and the spectrum of activity in relation to different medication.  It is important to note that before a drug is thought to cause the desired effects, it has to get in touch with specific receptors in the body and or on the specific microbe.

Receptors are located on the cell surfaces of human cells and microbes, and within the cell.  Despite the cell surface receptors, in some situations we can as well have a chemical pathway as the receptor as we are going to be seeing in our next paragraphs.  It is therefore good to remember that, in order for the drug to work, it must get in touch with a specific receptor and the drug-receptor complex, will be the initiator of the drug effects.  On this page, we are going to look at some of the most common receptors in the body and on or in the microbes and the subsequent drugs associated with such receptors.

Cont.............

RELATED;

1.  DRUG SPECTRUM OF ACTIVITY

2.  CLASSIFICATION OF DRUGS

TEN RULES OF BEING FREE FROM STRESS AT THE WORKPLACE

TEN RULES OF BEING FREE FROM STRESS:  Stress is one disorder that affects the young and old, single and married, employees and employers, ladies and gentlemen.  Stress is a state of worry or mental tension that happens on a daily basis in all working individuals.  From unfinished tasks of the office at the workplace, to the family disputes of going back home late, stress can tear you up into pieces and if not managed in time, things can go the wrong way.  Technically being stressed can sometimes increase productivity especially when it comes to multi-tasking however, long term stress can lead to development of chronic illnesses including but not limited to; Hypertension, Mental disorders, Diabetes mellitus among others.  

Apart from the possibility of developing complicated illnesses related to stress, this monster situation can lead to job and family neglect and increasing imperfection and performances if not managed and or treated immediately.  Although there are medical and several irrational ways people manage stress, the best way to be safe is prevention of the situation.  In this article, we are going to look at Mega Mover Empire's ten rules of being free from stress at the workplace.  Feel free to subscribe to this channel and please send in you comments, additions and many more.

1.  BE PRO-LIFE:  The overall intention of anyone to work is to generate income for themselves and their families and it is the line I too, get up every morning and go to work.  It should however be noted that before you over think about work, think about you being alive and healthy first putting it in mind that, a dead body can not work and your life is the most precious gift you have ever got.  

In the medical field we have a principle known as "The sanctity of life" and this applies more to the Nursing professionals although it can apply to the rest of medical and non personnel.  It generally looks at the health worker being able to save life in any conditions as much as they can.  It does not however means that they should put their life at risk, or get exposed to life threatening events as long as the rest who are intended are saved.  And the same feeling should apply for any other potential worker.  Think about your life being safe and secure before thinking about work.

Man's greatest fear is what to eat and it is something one should think about to be provided by any employer although there some organizations and employers that may never mind the way their workers get what to eat.  This is one of my worst saying ever but don't misquote me please, "If your employer can not provide you with what to eat in time, your are not working for a human being but a robot instead".  There is a way our intestines are so demanding that in almost after every 4 hours, there will be a need to eat something and it is unfortunate the humans don't consume electricity and there is no replacement for food therefore.  Otherwise I wish some of us were rechargeable, China would have already made for us some of the most long lasting rechargeable batteries but that is not the case.  It therefore turns out that food is one of the things that maintains life and should be available for any worker to avoid stress related to that matter.  I have discussed much about the relationship of food and our survival in my article named "Wonders of the human body" you can read more about it here.

2.  KNOW HOW TO WRITE THE ABCDE AT YOUR WORKPLACE:  One of the most challenging and root causes of confusion at work is randomization of tasks.  Let us say you have more than 12 tasks to accomplish in the 5 day of the week, and these are having different submission time frames including those that requires 24 hours, 36 hours, 3 days a week and more than a week for there deadlines.  It is wise that you accomplish the task that requires more attention first and it will be more wise to start with those that require emergency, and in short, this is called prioritization.  For a medical professional whether on Out-patient Department (OPD) or on Emergency Unit be able to attend to someone very prone to death from hemorrhage, cardiac arrest and respiratory failure first compared to those that have delayed administration of medications because of patient and attendants negligence if that is what it dictates.

3.  BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR COMMUNICATION PORTALS:  Communication is one very important aspect in any work settings, and it is one of the root causes of conflicts at the workplace.  In most cases when a message in sent from one person through a series of other individuals it tends to get diluted or even fading away.  I know in your workplace you have office assistants that can convey messages from your office but it will be more efficient for you take many of the messages by yourself to the respective individuals as long as you are not that too busy.  Every message sent via a third part generates another third party and the more third parties become numerous, your message will become an open secret, subjecting you to become a topic within the organization and generation of subsequent stress situation related to the way you have to address the situation.  Therefor by controlling the way you communicate alone, you can avoid some of the most stressful situations you would encounter at your workplace.

4.  RESPECT HUMAN EVOLUTION AND THE EXISTANCE OF LIKES AND DISLIKES:  The topic of evolution is seen as both a science and a fiction but the issue is, we have developed in such a way that we have what we like and what we dislike basing on our genetic predisposition and evolutionary trends.  Try you level best to know what you like and what you dislike at your workplace as this will help alleviate anxiety that may trigger any stressful situation.  I am one guy who actually does not want food and sauce mixed on the same plate however because in public places that is how food is served, I will mind about separating the two when I am home.  And my friend James is funny in the same regard, he does not want to eat in public and he will enjoy eating from some private room.

5.  THOUGHLY STUDY THE STRENGTH OF BOTH YOUR MUSCLES AND MINDS:  One very important aspect of work is that we normally tend to forget or never mind about our different capacity to carryout the intended work.  But the thing is, there is always a level beyond which we can not perform either mentally or physically.  This is more to do with time and multitasking where if you try to work for extended time, there is a way your body may not be able to accomplish the tasks as desired.  On the other hand if there are very many tasks and you want all of them done in one day, again things may end up in imperfections.  Therefore the balance will be working within the allocated time frame and doing just enough of what your body can afford.  Always remember this precious thinking and idea "Rome was not built in one day"  This reminds me of the time I was working in the stone quarry and my obligation was to make it to 2 trucks of gravel per day.  But because 3 truck would generate more money for me I could sometimes end up working for 3 extra hours of the day to make it to that and sometime things would end up into mess and excessive tiredness to wake up early the next day.  So please mind much on not building a tower to heaven.

6.  MIND MUCH ABOUT PROFFESSIONAL ETHICS AND CODES OF CONDUCT:  Every time I talk about this, it reminds of my best Friend, mentor and Lecturer in Mbarara University Dr. Francis Bajunirwe.  That gentleman was my teacher of Community and Public health way back in 2011 but most of all, he taught me the way a professional health worker can handle stressful situations.  Later 5 years down the road I started seeing the examples that he had given me in our private discussions.  Every time you have a misconduct at the workplace there is a way it tends to stress you up and everyone will be looking at you like a monster.

7.  RESPECT THE EDUCATED:  In most cases we tend to work with people with higher level and some with lower level than ours just because we have different roles.  It may not be evident or easily understandable but usually depending on the level of organization in the organography, you will be able to tell whether someone holds a higher level of education than yours.  Such people will have more experience, tactics and knowledge of the way things are done and they are the right people to consult.  Actually try not to argue with them too much because you may end up restricting the information you can get from them.  One Professor friend of mine once told me these words "...always try to respect the educated because, knowledge can flow from elites to ignorant by passive diffusion".

8.  BE AWARE OF THE INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES:  It should be clear with you that we do not come from the same family, we grew up in different communities and we have been exposed to totally different situations in our life.  At least if that is the thinking, then it turns out that even our behaviors are totally different.  Never at any point should you get surprise when someone do something that is not usual.  Even if it is your best friend, they were not created the same way like you and somewhere somehow they may have a boot loops when it comes to doing several tasks.  So keep in mind that at any point the person next to you at the workplace is not the best nor the worst with certain tasks.

9.  TRY TO AVOID TRAFFIC JAM AND GIVE RESPECT TO TIME:  Doing things in time gives a lot of relief and you notice you can even help others do theirs better as you become less fixed. One simple idea I have also bought from myself in the last 10 years is that I like doing things my own way, follow my own order and be unique from the rest of co-workers.  It doesn't mean I try to deviate from my job description or work alone and ignore teamwork but instead, do the task as instructed but using unique and special tactics.  Every time I tried doing something exactly the same way my friends did, I got a lot of critics that raised my cortisol levels subjecting me to development of stress.  Well for some activities can be done in one way but I mean, I may change and do the task at a later time or earlier time compared to my friends as long as the time will be finished in the allocated time frame.

10.  LISTEN TO SOME MUSIC:  Not just music but favorite music, is capable of relieving stress at work as long as it will not obstruct you and other colleagues.  There is a way I have considered stress a walkover by listening to Gospel music for the last 15 years.  And this is especially true when it came to Hillsong album of "North point worship".  Every time I listen to it I kind of feeling like I am in Georgia.  I know your favorite may not be Gospel but whatever it is, as long as it makes you calm and comfortable please, it is one of the non pharmacological ways of relieving stress.

RELATED;

1.  HYPERTENSION 

2.  MENTAL ILLNESSES

3.  DIABETES MELLITUS

4.  WONDERS OF THE HUMAN LIFE

5.  NORTH POINT WORSHIP MP3 DOWNLOADS

6.  CORTISOL