The predicted cost of alcohol misuse upon the police force and the NHS is predicted to be 4.6 billion in London alone in the year 2000. Ref 17
Social: If people are drunk they may be anti-social and behave in a negative manner. People may also become alcoholics. Alcoholism often causes people to become a recluse and cut off from the world, making them incapable of doing daily tasks. A high level of dependency is placed upon alcohol and the person may develop depression.
Secondary Aspect- Fermentation
Economic & Environmental: Carbon dioxide released in fermentation is no longer released in to the atmosphere contributing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but is collected in big vats. This is then sold to companies to fill fire extinguishers. This makes money out of waste for the brewery and is environmentally friendly.
Social: A number of quality checks are carried on the yeast in form of DNA tests, and the cleanliness of equipment used. The yeast is tested to make sure it is the right type, and has been ‘cleaned’ of all other substances. This all ensures safety of the consumers, to make sure cross contamination hasn’t occurred. It therefore prevents food poisoning or any other affects such as a reaction to an allergy.
Effects of alcohol on the body
Each day 3 million pints of beer are shipped from the Coors brewery warehouse, and each day this beer is consumed. But what affect is this having on people’s bodies, and when does drinking become unhealthy? The department of health suggests that an average of 3 units of alcohol should be consumed each day ref 1, with any more being excessive. The below image shows this relatively to measure.
Image 4- Measures of units
The guidelines are put in place because alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. The CNS is the largest part of the nervous system, consisting of the brain and the spinal cord and together with peripheral nervous system, controls the behaviour of a person. Because alcohol is a depressant, it increases the activity of the Gamma- aminobutyric acid (GAMA) neurotransmitter that is a drug responsible for the promotion of sleep. This neurotransmitter sends signals between neurons and different cells in the CNS. This abnormality resultantly minimises the function of the CNS and cannot control the behaviour of the person. Some of the side effects they may experience due to this are:
- A loss of co-ordination
- Slurred speech
- Wrong judgement about situations
- Confusion and trouble with fine movement
These side effects often occur soon after drinking, as cell membranes are very permeable to alcohol. This is because alcohol contains polar and non-polar regions, which allow it to dissolve easier through the bilayer of the membrane. Due to the easy absorption from cells, alcohol can reach almost every tissue in the body Ref 3.
However, these are short term consequences of drinking. There are more serious implications of drinking excessively over a long period of time. If someone was to drink 5-6 standard drinks each day for the next 20 years, it is highly likely they would develop liver disease Ref 4 The red section on the pie chart shows the percentage of cases of liver disease caused by excess alcohol consumption
Image 2- Causes of liver disease
The liver is the organ that breaks down 90% of alcohol consumed, with the remaining 10% excreted through urine or in breath Ref 10. The start of liver disease occurs when the liver tries to break down alcohol by the use of the enzyme dehydrogenase. This enzyme catalyses the oxidation of ethanol into acetaldehyde. This is a toxic chemical and is responsible for damage to the lining of the liver and the process of liver damage begins Ref 10. There are three main stages of liver disease, increasing in severity: Fatty change, Alcoholic Hepatitis and Cirrhosis. Fatty change is where the liver has an accumulation of fat globules caused by alcohol. These fat deposits are macrovesicular (large droplets), rather than microvesicular (small droplets), which cause more damage. The liver cells become damaged by the fat in a process called macrovesicular steatosis, in which the cytoplasm is moved by a large bubble of fat, pushing the nucleus to the edge of the cell and enlarging the liver Ref 13. At this stage however, with a good stable diet and abstinence from alcohol, fatty deposit can be reversed.
The next stage, alcoholic hepatitis is where an inflammatory response begins due to irritation of the liver lining. As this response takes place, the body tries to heal itself by producing scar tissue. This tissue is tough and non-productive and over time the scar tissue replaces healthy tissue. This is Cirrhosis and means the liver can no longer function properly.
The image below shows what a normal liver looks like, and the contrast of an unhealthy liver.
Image 3- liver damage comparison
It shows the extent to which fat globules have on the cells, and the resultant scar tissue. A healthy liver has the vital role of regulating, storing, secreting and breaking down many different substances in the body. A liver effected by cirrhosis can not carry out these important tasks, having a big impact on the body. These impacts include the body not being able to make proteins, meaning that blood has difficulty in clotting. Another impact is jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin. This occurs because the liver can not absorb bilirubin. A cirrhosis-damaged liver can also not remove toxins from the blood, causing them to accumulate in the blood and eventually the brain. Ref 18
A BBC news article claims that many people with liver disease are women. Dr Fleur Ashby said: “"There are women out there who are trying to drink as much as males… but the way their bodies are built mean they can't tolerate the same amount of alcohol."
"Many of them are coming through by displaying physical symptoms and these are getting picked up by their GPs.” Ref 7 It is recommended that women drink less due to the fact that women’s liver take twice as long to break down an alcoholic drink Ref 9, Dr Ashby outlines that women are unaware of this difference and resultantly suffer the consequences.
Future developments
When someone has liver failure and it no longer functions, a liver transfer is needed. However, this means that someone has to donate their organ in order for them to gain one. This is an issue as there is not enough organs readily available, and so a waiting list has to be made. It is estimated that 18 people die daily waiting for organ transplants. Ref 19 A future development that would mean livers could be produced on demand is therapeutic cloning. Therapeutic cloning, also known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, is a process in which organs are replicated by growing and embryo and extracting the appropriate stem cells. Firstly a women’s ovum is taken and the DNA is removed. Then human DNA is extracted from a body cell as this contains all the information needed for replication of the organ, and inserted into the ovum. The ovum is then given an electric shock to start the development of an embryo. After about
fourteen days, the stem cells are removed and are encouraged to
(Image 5- Therapeutic cloning)
grow into the desired organ. As soon as the stem cells are removed the embryo dies and it can’t develop any further. This arouses ethical issues about whether it is right to use an embryo in this way. After the stem cells are fully developed in to the organ, it is then transplanted into the patient.Ref 12 However, as of yet, this is a very future development, that has not been produced in a lab. There are a lot of advantages with therapeutic cloning, but also quite a few implications. Therapeutic cloning would mean that people with liver disease would not have to suffer, but can be given a new liver without waiting on a transplant. It also means that livers can be produced on demand and there never has to be a shortage.
The implications of therapeutic cloning are that alcoholics may acquire a complacent attitude and think it’s okay to drink because they will be given a new liver. This is a wrong attitude to have as alcohol has effects on not just the liver but the rest of the body too.
There are also ethical issues raised on whether cloning organs is morally right, this is because the original ovum and the pre-embryo are a form of human life. It asks questions on whether embryos are alive from conception and if they posses any potential rights. However, recent breakthroughs in stem cell research may avert this controversy, as stem cells can be grown from adult skin cells. Ref 14
Limitations
There is however limitations with the information I have gathered. This is due to statistics being out of fate and published from over five years ago. This means the information many not be as reliable, and cannot give a clear understanding or a current risk in times today. Fore example the pie chart (image 2) was published in 1989, and since then it is highly likely that the amount of cases of alcohol induced liver damage has increased, thus affecting the reliability.
Validity of references
Reference 8 I believe to be extremely valid in comparison to Reference 7. This is because I have researched the Author, Owen Ward, and found out that he is the Professor of Waterloo Science. This puts him in a position of credibility as his knowledge is recognised. This is in comparison to people’s personal opinion stated in reference 7. Although the opinion of people is important, it is not fact and cannot be heavily relied upon.
Reference 1 and reference 10 are also equally and extremely as they are governmental websites. This means the information is trusted and is often first hand, primary data when it comes to statistics and guidelines. Reference 2, 3 and 4 are also reliable as the same information was found in source 10. Because they are relevant to eachother and reflect back upon government original information, they are highly valid.
Bibliography
Images
Image 1:
Accessed on 13th November 2007
Image 2:
Accessed on 13th November 2007
Image 3:
Accessed on 13th November 2007
Image 4:
Accessed on 13th November 2007
Image 5:
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/stem-cell-therapeutic.gif
Accessed on 13th November 2007
Websites
Reference 1:
Accessed on 17th November 2007
Reference 2:
Accessed on 17th November 2007
Reference 3:
Accessed pm 17th November 2007
Reference 4:
Accessed pm 17th November 2007
Reference 5:
Accessed pm 17th November 2007
Reference 10:
Accessed pm 17th November 2007
Reference 11:
Accessed pm 17th November 2007
Reference 12:
Accessed pm 17th November 2007
Reference 13: http://www.alcohol.org.nz/BodyEffect.aspx?PostingID=668
Accessed pm 17th November 2007
Reference 14:
Accessed pm on 9th March 2008
Reference 15:
Accessed pm on 9th March 2008
Reference 16:
Accessed pm on 9t March 2008
Reference 17:
Accessed pm on 9th March 2008
Reference 18:
Accessed pm on 9th March 2008
Reference 19:
Accessed pm on 9th March 2008
Books
Reference 6:
Salters Nuffield Advanced Biology AS book
Published by Heinemann
Reference 8:
By Owen P. Ward
.
Published in 2006 by Science Pub inc
Reference 9:
By Howard J. Worman.
The Liver Disorders Sourcebook
M.D Lowell Housee 1999
Newspaper Article
Reference 7:
Inside Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire: Monday September 22 2003