When consumed in excess (as in Nicoles situation), alcohol can ...

[sabina]

When consumed in excess (as in Nicoles situation), alcohol can disrupt your bodys normal metabolic balance and lead to many serious health problems. Yet, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans acknowledges that moderate alcohol consumption (1 to 2 drinks/day) may be beneficial for some individuals. Although alcohol provides the body with a source of energy (7 kcal/g), it is not generally considered a nutrient. Furthermore, not all people are able to drink responsibly. As such, do you think the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans should include recommendations regarding alcohol consumption?

Question 2

Many people assume that alcohol is harmful to the body only after many years of chronic and excessive intake. Yet, by the time she was in college, Nicole had already developed a condition called fatty liver, which results when certain types of lipids (triglycerides) accumulate in the liver. Alcohol metabolism depletes NAD⁺ availability in cells, causing NADH + H⁺ to accumulate. Review the metabolic pathways discussed so far and try to determine how a low NAD⁺ to NADH + H⁺ ratio can increase lipogenesis.

[moormoney]

Answer to Question 1

The association of moderate alcohol consumption and reduced inflammation leading to less obesity, diabetes, and death from heart disease is evidently the underlying reason for this strong public health recommendation. While moderate drinking can increase the risk of colon and breast cancer, these risks are trumped by the boost in cardiovascular healthespecially in middle age, when heart disease begins to account for an increasingly large share of diseases and deaths.

Answer to Question 2

Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol provides the cell with extra energy in the form of an increased NADH + H⁺ ratio, which translates to elevated intracellular ATP levels. When the cell perceives an environment of extra energy (in this case, increased NADH + H⁺) it will not perceive a need to create more energy via glycolysis or beta-oxidation, but instead will want to conserve this energy using glycogenesis and lipogenesis. This means your cells will create glycogen for storage in the muscle and liver and more triglycerides for storage in the adipose tissues, muscle, and liver.

[sabina]

Both answers were spot on, thank you once again

[moormoney]

Great! Please up vote