Blood Alcohol Content
BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT
The consumption of alcoholic beverages results in the absorption into the bloodstream of Alcohol (ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol) from the stomach and small intestine. The amount of alcohol distributed in the blood is termed blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and is proportional to the quantity of ethanol consumed. It is expressed as the weight of alcohol in a fixed volume of blood, for example, grams per liter (g/l) or milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). The measurement of blood alcohol concentrations has both clinical and legal applications.
Consuming food with alcohol generally decreases the amount of alcohol that can be quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Consuming more than one drink per hour causes the BAC to increase rapidly, because it is exceeding the rate at which the body can metabolize alcohol. The percentage of body fat that contributes to a person's total weight also affects BAC. A larger proportion of fat provides less body water into which the alcohol can distribute, thus increasing BAC. For this reason, women generally have a higher BAC for a given number of drinks when compared to men.
(See also: Blood Alcohol Concentration, Measures of )
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fisher, H., Simpson, R., & Kapur, B. (1987). Calculation of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) by sex, weight, number of drinks and time. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 78, 300-304.
Myroslava Romach
Karen Parker
More From encyclopedia.com
Alcohol And Health , Alcohol is a central-nervous-system depressant that affects judgment, coordination, and inhibition. Mild alcohol intoxication causes a relaxed and ca… Alcohol , ALCOHOL. The word "alcohol" is derived from the Arabic word al kuhul, meaning 'essence'. The favorite mood-altering drug in the United States, as in… Potassium Sulfate , Accidents or crimes can occur when one or more of those involved are intoxicated. Impaired driving is the obvious example. In the United States, at l… Denatured Alcohol , denatured alcohol
alcohol, denatured
alcohol, denatured Drinkable alcohol is subject to tax in most countries and for industrial use it is denatured… Fetal Alcohol Syndrome , Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) represents a preventable pattern of clinical abnormalities that develop during embryogenesis (the developmental stages s… Rubbing Alcohol , Rubbing alcohol is known as isopropyl alcohol (C 3H 8O); it is one of the more useful of the commercial alcohols, included in hand lotions and many c…
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
Blood Alcohol Content