Alcohol Effect on the Human Liver - Research Paper Example

THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON THE HUMAN LIVER Introduction Alcohol has immense effects on the human liver. It is linked with the two chief diseases hepatitis and cirrhosis. Both of this two conditions manifests, when an individual heavily alcoholic beverages or even takes them in modest amounts. The liver is amid the hardest running body organs that execute a variety of functions. It is the body part that, is usually exposed to alcohol abuse consumption, and is the mostly referred on, when analyzing the harming effects of alcohol, on the human body. It performs several functions among them; it is essential in the dispensation of nutrients, the manufacturing ob bile which assists in food digestion, toxins cleansing such as drugs, alcohol and many other hazardous substances in the blood and manufacturing agents that help in the clotting of blood. The liver has often proven to posses the capability of regenerating itself, but the effects of alcohol eventually overpowers and wears it down, resulting in Damages are difficult to reverse. The alcohol consumption has several immediate and some durable effects. Although it is true that moderate drinking is beneficial to an individual’s health, such as reduce the risk of heart problems, too much consumption of alcohol can be detrimental to an individual’s health. Alcoholism is probably the most prevalent drug abuse in the US currently. In 1995, research by the American Bureau of statistics exhibited that 67% of all population over the age of 12 admitted having drunk beers within the previous year. Surprisingly almost fifty percent of them admitted having drunk alcohol beverages within the past month. It has been implied that the reason for the rise of alcohol users, is that the beverage is pleasant, relaxing and is regarded as a social beverage by many. Consuming of alcohol beverages occasionally may not have serious damage however, drinking alcohol in excess can seriously destroy a person’s liver, resulting to conditions that are dangerous and potentially fatal. When an individual takes alcohol, the person feels euphoric in that the individual experiences a rush in the body that causes them to be happy (Black, 2010). This effect of alcohol on the human body makes alcohol a popular drink among individuals in the society. The use of alcohol has long term effects on a person’s health and one of the most affected organs in the body is the liver. The liver has a critical function in the body’s metabolism in that it processes the food that we take in the digestive system. The liver stores sugar in the body and discharges it when the body requires it. The liver moreover produces bile which is essential in that it assists the body with the digestion of fats. Alcohol consists mainly of sugar since it is a product of the fermentation process. The liver will try and metabolize the alcohol when an individual is consuming it. When a person consumes more alcohol than the liver can metabolize, the excess alcohol becomes toxic and poisons the body of an individual. This situation is described as alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is always accompanied by an uncomfortable feeling commonly referred to as the hangover. In some cases, an individual is forced to expel a yellowish liquid through their vomit. This is as a result of intake of alcohol has caused the liver to expel bile. These are some short term effects that alcohol has on the liver and its functions. Alcohol consumption when taken regularly, and in excess than what their liver can handle will lead to more adverse and long term effects in a human body. The consumption will lead to stress on the liver resulting to liver failure. Liver failure as a result of alcohol consumption is one of the biggest killers in the US. Alcohol Induced Liver Diseases (ALD) is a common cause of disease and death. Statistics show that about 35 % of heavy alcohol drinkers develop a liver condition known as hepatitis. . About 20% of the heavy drinkers develop cirrhosis which is ranked the seventh among the causes of death for the middle aged population in the US. Over 20,000 deaths are attributed to cirrhosis annually. It is essential for any human being for the liver to function normally. When alcohol is excessively consumed, it disrupts the normal functions of the liver. This may have adverse affects on an individual’s health. Liver failure eventually affects the other organs that are vital for a human body to function normally. Excessive alcohol use damages the tissues of the liver, cause inflammation in the liver. These effects will lead to health complications in a human being and may in some cases, become fatal. This is since the liver has a significant function in the physiological functions of a person. Alcohol metabolism is crucial in determining the health of the liver. During metabolism of the liver, some by products are produced. Some of these products are highly toxic more than alcohol and pose a serious risk to the health of an individual. Examples of such by products are the free radicals which are responsible for the damaging of the liver and in some instances cause the inflammation. The inflammation impairs crucial body functions like the production of energy (Black, 2010). The body uses its defense mechanism, to try and fight off the free radicals, but they are mostly inhibited when an individual consumes alcohol. This renders the body defenseless leading to increased deterioration of the liver. This leads to rapid damage of the liver tissues causing liver diseases. Inflammation is a reply of the body that aims to prevent the spread of an injury. Inflammation also allows for the body to mobilize its defense mechanisms to counter the threat that the body is fighting. The consumption of alcohol in excessive proportions leads to the slowing down of the process of inflammation in the body. This makes the body to react more slowly to injuries leading to the rapid increase of free radicals that are dangerous to the liver tissues. The bacteria that are common in the intestines of a human body play a significant role in the in the presence of the ALD. This is as a result of alcohol consumption in excess that increase the presence of endotoxin which is a harmful bacteria in the blood. The bacteria move to the liver, and cause the activation of some specialized cells that detect infections in the blood stream. This causes the response of the cells to be the release of cytokines that which regulates the inflammatory process. The cytokines are produced mostly in situations where the body feels threatened with infections or in cases of cell damage. When an individual consumes alcohol excessively, the levels of cytokines increase. The cytokines produced have been linked to scar formations. It has moreover been cited as a cause for the oxygen depletion in the liver. This deficiency has been related to cirrhosis. The reactions mentioned initiate the death of liver cells triggering the release of more cytokines. Consequently, the body experiences a cycle of events that involve cell death, inflammation and scarring. Cell death that is alcohol induced results to scarring that is responsible for impairment of the functions of this organ. Various factors are key in determining the effects of alcohol in individuals. The effects of alcohol are varied due to certain factors unique to individuals. Genetic makeup of an individual is a crucial factor to conceder when determining the effects of alcohol in individuals. The diet of an individual is also key in how alcohol affects the health of an individual. For example, eating foods low in carbohydrate, and high in fat, increases dramatically the chances of liver damage (Black, 2010). This was determined through a controlled experiment done on lab rats. The gender of an individual is also significant in determining the effects of alcohol. Women have been found to develop ALD with less consumption of alcohol over a short period than men. The presence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) increases the chances of an individual in developing ALD. Figure 1. Age-Adjusted Liver Cirrhosis Mortality U.S. 1910-1996 Figure 2. Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis by Race and Gender (Age-Adjusted, 1996) Tables retrieved from Victims of effects of alcohol in their liver affect several people’s lives as well as that of their families. It distresses every single component of the alcoholic’s life including the body, mind and family life. The body possesses a natural chemical that gives it a feeling of a natural high. This happens when there exists of a life-threatening situation such as excessive drinking. This chemical is adrenaline, which is supposed to prepare the body for defense in the event of emergence. The body is maneuvered by alcohol into discharging the chemical, leading to the attaining the natural high feeling. This leads to one to keep on drinking excessively thus leading to liver damage. A person suffering from liver complications due to alcohol consumptions becomes a problem to himself and those around him. For instance, such a person will affect the functions of his liver thus become sickly and unable to provide for their family. They also affect their families as they will need medication for their treatment, which is often, expensive. This places a heavy burden on their families mostly the poor ones that could not afford to pay (Dufour, 2010). Several diseases affecting the liver arise due to undue alcohol consumption. They include Hepatitis and cirrhosis among others. Hepatitis is a phrase that illustrates an inflammation of the liver while cirrhosis is liver scarring that can extend from hepatitis, among other causes. As alcohol is broken down in the liver, it results in an inflammation. This procedure of breaking down alcohol results in hepatitis. Alcoholic hepatitis is accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever and fatigue. An individual with alcohol hepatitis experiences pain in the abdomen, has dry mouth, is thirsty always and gains weight as the liver cells are destroyed. Further symptoms of alcohol hepatitis involve yellowing of the eyes as well as the skin referred to as jaundice and also loss of appetite. Human alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) is the focal Enzyme that is liable for the catalyzing corrosion of alcohols into either aldehydes or ketones and works with the lessening of the enzyme co-aspect NAD+ to NADH. Being an oxidoreducase, the enzyme enhances the shift of electrons between molecules either in the form of ions, hydrogen or hydrides. Fundamentally, ADH in the human body is used primarily to defend the body against alcohol which possesses the ability to be enormously lethal to all organisms by conciliating the purpose of their nervous systems. Alcohol, consumed in the form of ethanol is changed top acetaldehyde, which is a worse toxic molecule, which also is quickly changing to acetate and extra rudiments by aldehyde dehydrogenase.  The outcome products are in a form that can be utilized by the body’s cells (Dufour, 2010). ADH enhances production through a fermentation process. ADH is able to catalyze the oxidation of several alcohols, since it is highly versatile. It also metabolizes other biological compounds such as retinol, steroids and fatty acids in addition to breaking down ethanol, ADH is an essential enzyme that makes it feasible, for humans to be capable, to take alcoholic beverages, without succumbing to alcohol poisoning every time they consume alcohol. The high concentration of ADH within people’s liver and stomach breaks down probably one ounce of alcohol per hour. Thus, consumption of obscene alcohol amounts leads to alcohol poisoning despite the high concentration of ADH thus resulting into hepatitis. When the liver is powerless of sieving the remains from old red blood cells called bilirubin, then the essence will be to construct and dump in the whites of the eyeballs and a person’s skin. When the liver is negatively affected b y by alcoholic hepatitis, it can have difficulties avoiding dangerous venom from the body. Toxins such as ammonia, which occurs through digestive processes, cannot be avoided by the liver, and may result in brain damage. This is called hepatic encephalopathy and can result to puzzlement, individuality change or even coma and death (Dufour, 2010). Another result of effects of alcohol on the liver is the fatty liver. This is the most often happening alcohol-linked liver disorder, which results when obscene amounts of fat upsurge in the liver cells. This enlarges the liver causing discomfort in the upper abdominal regions. According to Dufour (2010), Cirrhosis is a medical situation that leads to the liver malfunctioning and slowly deteriorating. This happens when a vigorous tissue is reinstated by a scar tissue causing blockage of the blood flowing through the liver. The scar tissue hinders the liver from combating infections; manage blood clotting by building proteins and eliminating contaminants and bacteria from the bloodstream. The NDDIC states that 27,000 deaths each year occur as a result of cirrhosis, with alcohol-related cirrhosis being accountable for more deaths than other types of the disease. Bloating, fatigue, spiderlike blood vessels and abdominal pain are some of the symptoms of cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can destroy the liver to extents that hepatic encephalopathy can increase as it does in situations of alcoholic hepatitis. A condition referred to as portal hypertension occurs in the liver when the cardinal vein supplying blood to the liver is influenced by the existence of a scar tissue from cirrhosis. This complicates the blood flow via the vein. When this minute vessels cannot sustain the mounting pressure, they burst and cause serious amounts of bleeding in the liver. Cirrhosis is also famed for raising the danger of liver cancer. Conclusion The consumption of alcohol has adverse effects in the health of an individual. The effects of alcohol on a human liver are fatal and may lead to the death of individuals. This necessitates for measures to be taken in order to contain the significance of alcohol in the health of the society. This is crucial since, alcohol related diseases have been acknowledged to be among the foremost causes of death of young adults. References Black, R. (2010). Alcohol in popular culture: An encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood. Dufour, J.-F. (2010). Signaling pathways in liver diseases. Berlin: Springer. Epidemiology of alcohol problems in the United States. (2005). National Institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism of the institute of health (NIAAA). Retrieved on 11 May 2012 from: < http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Social/Module1Epidemiology/Module1.html> Read More