ABSTRACT
I. Introduction 68 A. Effect on Carbohydrate Digestion and Absorption 68 B. Effect on Glucose Metabolism 68
II. Ethanol Metabolism 69
III. Effect on the Modulators of Glucose-6-P Pool 73 A. Insulin 73 B. Glucagon 73 C. Catecholamines 74 D. Redox Potential 75 E. Energy Charge 77
IV. Effect on the Levels of Metabolic Intermediates and Substrates of Glucose Metabolism
V. Effect on the Activities of the Rate Limiting Enzymes of Glucose Metabolism 79 A. Chronic Ethanol Intake 80 B. Ethanol Perfusion 81 C. Acute Ethanol Administration In Vivo 84
VI. Summary and Conclusions 87
Acknowledgments 89
References 89
I. INTRODUCTION
The hypoglycemic effect of ethanol was first described by Brown and Harvey in 1941.' For many years, it was thought that this hypoglycemia was a result of the hepatotoxic effect of denatured alcohol solvents. In 1963 it was shown that pure ethanol can be used to reproduce the syndromes observed in clinical alcohol hypoglycemia.' The decrease in blood sugar level of chronic alcoholics with neurological abnormalities and in deep coma following the ingestion of an alcoholic beverage was also known. The effectiveness of intravenous glucose injection in the restoration of neurological normalcy and consciousness in these patients suggested that hypoglycemia was the cause of such abnormalities.3.4 Alcohol-induced hypoglycemia became a matter of concern in children, as it was also shown that ethanol caused hypoglycemia in fed children.5 Ethanol is known to induce hypoglycemia when glycogen stores are low.' This observation is true even for healthy, fasted individuals.`''
