205k views
1 vote
One of the poisons the liver must break down is alcohol. Around 80% of all alcohol ingested orally will be broken down by the liver.

With chronic abuse, alcohol damages your liver severely. Because it must perform extra work to break down and filter alcohol out of the bloodstream, it is unable to get rid the byproducts of alcohol metabolism quickly. This extra work also prevents it from properly processing more common substances like fats and proteins.

User Selim
by
8.9k points

1 Answer

0 votes

The liver plays a vital role in detoxification, especially in alcohol metabolism. Chronic alcohol abuse overburdens liver mechanisms and can lead to significant liver and kidney diseases.

The liver performs critical functions, including the breakdown of toxic substances through a process called drug metabolism. The metabolites formed during the metabolism are less harmful than the original substances, which is essential for detoxification. Chronic alcohol consumption makes the liver work harder to break down alcohol, which can lead to liver damage or diseases such as cirrhosis. Additionally, when the liver is compromised, it affects the kidneys' ability to remove wastes, potentially resulting in kidney dysfunction.

The liver also has other functions such as storing glucose and fats, producing bile, and making blood clotting proteins.

Specifically, the breakdown of alcohol happens predominantly through the alcohol dehydrogenase system, where 80-90% of alcohol is processed. Alcohol dehydrogenase converts ethanol into acetaldehyde, a toxic compound that is immediately degraded by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase into acetate to prevent liver damage. However, chronic alcohol abuse can overload these pathways, leading to an accumulation of toxic substances that cause liver and kidney diseases.

User Mindas
by
7.7k points

Related questions

asked Jun 4, 2022 107k views
Kramb asked Jun 4, 2022
by Kramb
7.7k points
1 answer
0 votes
107k views
asked Oct 17, 2019 76.0k views
Klark asked Oct 17, 2019
by Klark
8.6k points
1 answer
3 votes
76.0k views
Welcome to QAmmunity.org, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of our community.