Dietary influences on alcohol intake: a review.

Alcohol intake is affected by both environmental and inherited biological mechanisms. In the early history of alcohol research, caloric interactions were among the most intensely studied of the environmental factors, and a large body of evidence was obtained that indicated that nutrition can affect alcohol drinking. Much of this evidence still stands today but appears to have been largely overlooked and to be in danger of being forgotten.

Differences between alcohol-preferring (AA) and alcohol-avoiding (ANA) rats in the prodynorphin and proenkephalin systems.

The motivation to drink alcohol and the eventual risk of becoming addicted are in part genetically determined. Because opioid peptides are considered central to motivated behaviors, we have analyzed opioid peptides in relevant areas of the brain of two outbred lines of rats: the alcohol-preferring [Alko Alcohol (AA)] line who voluntarily drink alcohol and the alcohol-avoiding [Alko Non-Alcohol (ANA)] line with negligible intake. (Met)enkephalinArg6Phe7 (MEAP) was measured as a marker of proenkephalin, and dynorphin A, dynorphin B, and (Leu)enkephalinArg6 as markers of the prodynorphin system.

Hypothesis: factors involved in the mechanisms regulating food intake affect alcohol consumption.

In addition to being a pharmacological agent, alcohol (ethanol) can also be considered a food; the body can utilize effectively its calorific contribution. The consumption of alcohol has in many respects the same characteristics as the intake of food. In animal experiments, food intake decreases in relation to the calorific value of the alcohol consumed; in human studies, various results have been obtained from no compensation to full compensation for the contribution from alcohol.

Alcohol elimination and the regulation of alcohol consumption in AA and ANA rats.

Previous studies have usually found that animals with either higher alcohol elimination rates or ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase, EC1.I.I.

Dietary regulation of voluntary alcohol consumption in rats. Influence of a high protein diet and a methylene blue diet.

The importance of glucose homeostasis for high voluntary alcohol consumption was studied in alcohol-preferring (AA) and alcohol-avoiding (ANA) rats fed either a control diet, a protein-rich diet or a control diet supplemented with methylene blue. AA rats on the control diet were found to receive 13.6% of their daily energy intake from alcohol.

Hepatic carbohydrate metabolism in rats bred for alcohol preference.

The influence of ethanol on the carbohydrate metabolism was studied in two strains of rats: the AA strain with an inherited preference for alcohol and the ANA strain with an aversion to alcohol. In both strains, a single intraperitoneal dose of ethanol (1.5 g/kg body wt.

Protein, carbohydrate, and ethanol consumption: interactions in AA and ANA rats.

Female rats of the alcohol-preferring AA line were given a choice between protein, carbohydrate, and fat sources. Subsequent free access to alcohol decreased their intake of carbohydrate but not of protein or fat. The individual alcohol intakes were negatively correlated with the carbohydrate intakes (-0.

The interaction between voluntary alcohol consumption and dietary choice.

The influence of forced and voluntary alcohol intake on the choice by AA (heavy drinking) and ANA (light drinking) rats between carbohydrate, protein and fat was studied. Alcohol consumption reduced the carbohydrate intake but did not influence the total energy consumption. In AA rats on free choice, voluntary alcohol intake correlated negatively with carbohydrate consumption but positively with protein and water intake.

Is carbohydrate metabolism genetically related to alcohol drinking?

Ethanol increased significantly the rate of gluconeogenesis from alanine in rats from the AA strain (alcohol-preferring animals), while no change was observed in rats from the ANA strain (alcohol-avoiding animals). The glycogen stores after alcohol administration were depleted in the livers of the ANA rats but remained unaffected in the AA animals. The results indicate that alcohol disturbs the carbohydrate homeostatis in the ANA rats, but not in the AA animals.

Liquid/air partition coefficients of acetaldehyde: values and limitations in estimating blood concentrations from analysis of breath.

We report liquid/air partition coefficients for dilute solutions of acetaldehyde in water, saline (0.9% wt/vol NaCl), human plasma, and corn oil. Equilibrium was studied at 34 degrees C and 37 degrees C with various concentrations of acetaldehyde in the liquid phases.

Distribution and utilization of alcohol-derived acetate in the rat.

The metabolism of endogenous and alcohol-derived acetate was studied in intact male Wistar rats. Acute alcohol administration increased the concentration of acetate in the hepatic vein from 0.3 to 2.

Diabetes and the alcohol consumption of AA and ANA rats.

Some earlier results have suggested a link between diabetes and voluntary ethanol consumption. Measurement of blood glucose levels now showed, however, that the AA line of rats developed for high alcohol intake is not diabetogenic. The alcohol-avoiding ANA line was somewhat more susceptible to streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

A high hepatic concentration of free proline does not induce collagen synthesis in rat liver.

It has been reported that the concentration of free proline in the liver can be a limiting factor in the synthesis of hepatic collagen, and there has also been found to be a good correlation between the free proline and the amount of collagen in cirrhotic human livers. Since ethanol retards the breakdown of proline, it might be expected that ethanol-induced liver cirrhosis could be produced by the effect of ethanol on the hepatic proline level. In the present study the hepatic free proline level was increased more than three-fold by the administration of proline-rich diet to the rats used in the experiment.

Influence of extracellular proline on collagen synthesis in rat liver slices.

The synthesis of collagen was measured in incubated rat liver slices. The concentration of proline in the medium was varied, but the specific radioactivity of proline was kept constant. The synthesis of total protein was found to be about 500-fold that of collagen.

Effects of ethanol on urinary arginine vasopressin excretion in two rat strains selected for their different ethanol preferences.

The effects of ethanol on urinary excretion of arginine vasopressin (AVP), sodium, and potassium were investigated in two rat strains specially selected for their different alcohol preferences. The alcohol preferring (AA) strain excreted more AVP and the water preferring (ANA) strain more urine and sodium during six hours after ethanol intubation (2.4 g/kg b.

Influence of ethanol oxidation rate on the lactate/pyruvate ratio and phosphorylation state of the liver in fed rats.

The effect of the ethanol oxidation rate on the interaction between the phosphorylation state (the [ATP]/[ADP] X [HPO4]2- ratio) and the redox state (the free [NAD+]/[NADH] ratio) of the liver cytosol was studied in intact fed rats. The rate of ethanol oxidation was inhibited to different degrees with pyrazole. The ethanol oxidation rate had no influence on the liver lactate level but correlated significantly with the pyruvate level.

Utilization and metabolic effects of acetaldehyde and ethanol in the perfused rat liver.

1. Removal of acetaldehyde and ethanol has been studied in perfused rat livers. 2.