Alcohol Metabolism: Videos & Practice Problems

Which statement best defines blood alcohol content (BAC) and its significance?

A student has a BAC of 0.08%. Which interpretation is most accurate?

What is the correct sequence of events after oral ingestion of ethanol?

A diagram shows ethanol molecules crossing the intestinal epithelium into capillaries. Which physiological route correctly follows these molecules next and explains why the liver is the first major metabolic site?

Which pairing of enzyme and reaction is correct for hepatic alcohol metabolism?

Why does acetaldehyde accumulation cause acute symptoms such as flushing and nausea when ALDH is deficient, even though BAC may remain unchanged?

Which reason best explains why ethanol does not require digestion before absorption?

A person drinks a clear alcoholic beverage on an empty stomach and another person drinks the same beverage after a full meal. Which physiological explanation predicts the faster rise in BAC and why?

If a person consumes four standard drinks over two hours and then stops drinking, using the average metabolic rate of one standard drink per hour, how many additional hours will it take for them to metabolize the remaining alcohol completely after they stop?

Two people each consume six standard drinks in one sitting. Person A metabolizes alcohol at 1.0 drink/hour, Person B at 0.7 drink/hour (slower). Both finish drinking at 11:00 PM. Calculate and compare the approximate time each person will take from 11:00 PM to eliminate all alcohol. Show your work and final times.

Holding dose constant, which individual would be expected to have the lower peak BAC and why?

Given two people of equal weight, Person X has 10% body fat and Person Y has 30% body fat. Both drink the same standardized dose. Which analytical conclusion is most accurate regarding their expected BACs and why?

Which statement best summarizes how sex and stomach contents influence the fraction of alcohol absorbed?

Design a brief experimental comparison (no lab work required) to test the hypothesis that eating a high-fat meal before drinking reduces peak BAC more in males than females because of greater gastric ADH activity in males. Which key elements must be included to control confounders and justify your evaluation?

Which clinical sign is most specifically associated with ALDH deficiency after drinking alcohol?

Why does ALDH deficiency not affect measured BAC even though it causes worse acute symptoms?

Suppose an individual drinking on an empty stomach reaches a peak BAC of 0.08% after consuming 4 standard drinks. If eating before drinking slows absorption so that only 80% of ethanol reaches systemic circulation (because of prolonged gastric retention and increased pre-systemic ADH metabolism), estimate the expected peak BAC for the fed condition assuming linearity between amount absorbed and peak BAC.

A study reports that when a beverage is consumed with a carbohydrate-rich meal, pre-systemic metabolism reduces systemic ethanol by 25% and delays time-to-peak from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. Analyze how these two changes would affect both (a) peak BAC and (b) duration of elevated BAC, and choose the most accurate combined statement.

Person A: 85 kg male, 12% body fat, drank 3 drinks quickly on an empty stomach, ALDH functional. Person B: 60 kg female, 28% body fat, drank 3 drinks quickly on an empty stomach, ALDH deficient. Based on synthesis of factors, which person is likely to have the higher peak BAC and which to experience more severe immediate symptoms? Provide the best combined choice.

Given two case vignettes, evaluate which individual is at greater risk for both acute intoxication (high BAC) and acetaldehyde-related adverse effects: (1) 70 kg female, 25% body fat, drank 5 drinks rapidly after fasting overnight, ALDH functional; (2) 85 kg male, 15% body fat, drank 5 drinks slowly over 4 hours with a meal, ALDH deficient. Which is correct?

Create a short verbal model predicting how a person’s BMI and lean body mass would be used to estimate expected BAC after a specified dose. Which components must be incorporated to make the model accurate?

A research participant of average male sex has higher gastric ADH activity than an average female. If both drink the same dose fasted, which immediate pharmacokinetic change would you analyze to quantify the effect of gastric ADH on BAC?

Which practical statement correctly reflects the one-drink-per-hour approximation?

If a person’s peak BAC after 5 drinks on an empty stomach is 0.10% and eating delays gastric emptying such that peak BAC is reduced by 30% and occurs 2 hours later, what is the new peak BAC and how long after starting drinking would you expect the delayed peak if drinking finished in 30 minutes? Show calculations.

A public health advisory recommends that people with known ALDH deficiency avoid binge drinking. Critically evaluate the rationale: which justification is strongest and grounded in biochemical mechanisms?

Which composite factor list best predicts the highest acute BAC and most severe subjective intoxication for someone consuming 4 drinks rapidly?

Interpret why alcohol reaching the portal vein before systemic circulation creates a 'first-pass' metabolic effect and how this differs from nutrient absorption that enters systemic circulation more directly.

A pharmaceutical company proposes a drug that transiently increases gastric ADH activity to reduce systemic BAC after binge drinking. Evaluate potential benefits and risks grounded in biochemical knowledge.