Can drinking capacity be developed through training? Is it easier to get drunk if you mix alcohol? The truth is…

Expert: Dr. Tian Jing, attending physician, Southern Theater Command Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Reviewer: Chen Haixu, deputy director and master's supervisor, Second Medical Center, PLA General Hospital

Every holiday

Many friends get together

I always have a few drinks.

but

Everyone at the table has different alcohol tolerances

Some people can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk

Some people "fall down after one glass"

Many people say

"You can develop your drinking tolerance through training"

"Don't mix your drinks, it's easy to get drunk"

So

The above statements

Is there any scientific basis for this?

today

Let’s take a closer look

Can drinking capacity be trained?

After alcohol of different concentrations enters the body, it is absorbed into the blood through the digestive tract and enters the liver through the portal vein for metabolism.

Ethanol is metabolized into more toxic acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and acetaldehyde is metabolized into acetic acid by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Acetic acid is finally metabolized into carbon dioxide and water, or participates in the fat synthesis pathway. However, the activity of ADH and ALDH in the human body is mainly determined by the genetic polymorphism of the human body, and acquired exercise may partially improve it, but the effect is not significant.

Therefore, most people who can drink a lot are born with it.

Certain types of alcohol are more likely to make you drunk

In addition to ethanol, alcoholic beverages also contain small amounts of other substances. For example, the aroma of different flavors of liquor usually comes from substances such as esters, alcohols and acids in the liquor, and these excessive esters and alcohols may make people more easily "intoxicated".

Most wines of different flavors contain substances that can inhibit the activity of ADH, which can inhibit the activity of ADH and promote the activity of ALDH. Due to the existence of substrate effect, the metabolic rate of ethanol is not greatly improved and remains very low. Some higher alcohols (such as n-propanol, isopentanol, and isobutanol) can inhibit the activity of both ADH and ALDH at the same time, resulting in the obstruction of ethanol metabolism and its accumulation in large quantities. Therefore, many wines containing such substances are more likely to make people "high".

Some aged liquors contain substances such as ethyl lactate, which can slightly inhibit the activity of ADH and promote the activity of ALDH to a great extent, so you will feel more comfortable after drinking it.

Therefore, undistilled rice wine or blended wine is more likely to make you drunk than aged white wine with better brewing technology.

Does mixing alcohol really make you more drunk?

Drinking alcohol and carbonated drinks together may promote the absorption of ethanol in the gastric mucosa, increase the absorption rate of alcohol, and make people feel drunk more easily.

Therefore, before drinking, you can eat some food containing protein, starch or fat to slow down the absorption of alcohol and achieve the purpose of delaying drunkenness.

Studies have found that drinking a mixture of different types of alcoholic beverages can cause greater damage to the liver because the interaction between ethanol and other substances can increase liver toxicity.

The ingredients of each type of alcohol are different and complex. Drinking mixed drinks increases the chance of exposure to these substances compared to drinking only one type of alcohol, making it easier to get drunk.

Do not drink alcohol while taking these medicines!

After taking metronidazole, furazolidone, tolbutamide, chlorpropamide, and some cephalosporins with methylthiotetrazole side chains (such as cefmetazole, cefamandole, cefoperazone, cefmenoxime, cefotiam, latamoxef, etc.), consuming a small amount of alcohol will produce a "disulfiram" poisoning reaction with acetaldehyde accumulation, which can seriously lead to respiratory depression, cardiac dysfunction, and even life-threatening. Therefore, drinking should be strictly avoided before the drug is completely metabolized.

In addition, drugs that suppress the central nervous system (such as opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, antidepressants), antihypertensive drugs (non-lolodipine), antiarrhythmic drugs (such as verapamil), antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs (acetaminophen, aspirin, etc.), gastric acid suppressants (cimetidine, ranitidine and aspirin, etc.), anticoagulants (warfarin), and many other drugs can interact with alcohol and lead to adverse consequences.

Therefore, you must be careful when drinking alcohol while taking this medication.

In summary

You can't learn how to drink, it's innate.

Whatever you drink

Don't drink alcohol

While taking medication

Remember to drink with caution

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