Effects of the Alcohol: A Review

Abstract

The alcohol beverages consumption by humanity is a common fact in a large number of cultures, for different purposes. Due to a high level of ethanol ingestion in many countries, and this relation about health and social problems, it is an issue which deserves special cautious. Alcohol metabolism can be made in three different ways. However, Enzymatic System of Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH) is considered the main one. This review will treat about nutritional aspects, which can cause undernutrition, vitamins and minerals deficits; endocrine-metabolic diseases, like diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome; Liver damage, such as steatosis, acute alcoholic hepatitis, a chronic alcoholic liver disease that causes cirrhosis and hepatic fibrosis, these manifestations can lead a hepatocarcinoma as well. Moreover, neurologic issues that can cause mood and behavior disorders, some examples of these problems are changes in synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability, anxiety and depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessions and compulsions, schizophrenic psychosis, affective disorders, insomnia, antisocial behavior, and suicide. It can also cause dependence with strong manifestations of abstinence.