ethanol is the kind of alcohol that is in alcoholic beverages.
ethanol is the kind of alcohol that is in alcoholic beverages.
what kind of alcohol is in alcoholic beverages?
ethanol
in 1973, breslin et al. tested the effects of alcoholic beverage consumption on the respiratory symptoms of 11 asthmatic subjects who gave a history of asthma attacks following certain alcoholic beverages. in response to ingesting the type of beverage that the subjects reported to provoke their symptoms, six developed the asthmatic symptom of chest tightness, two developed a symptom often associated with asthma, rhinitis, and one subject developed both chest tightness and rhinitis. symptoms developed almost immediately after ingestion, inhalation of fumes from the beverages did not precipitate symptoms, and bronchoconstriction in response to the ingestion was confirmed in the three patients evaluated by pulmonary function tests. the study suggested that these reactions were induced by non-alcoholic allergens that were contained in or contaminated the beverages. in 1978 a non-asthmatic female of japanese descent with a history of moderately severe bronchoconstriction responses to various alcoholic beverages and in 1981 an asthmatic japanese male with a similar history beer or 95% pure ethanol were studied and found to develop bronchoconstriction after drinking apple juice but not after drinking apple juice per se; intravenous infusion or inhalation of ethanol also caused bronchospasm responses in the male subject. these studies suggested that alcohol itself caused the asthmatic symptoms triggered by alcoholic beverages. a subsequent study in 1986 found that 9 of 18 patients with a history of red wine-induced asthma symptoms showed bronchoconstriction in response to ingesting red wine; the response correlated positively with the amount of sulfur dioxide contained in the provocative wine. the study suggested that the reaction was not allergen-induced but rather triggered by sulfur dioxide, a sulfur dioxide-related agent, or an agent whose levels in alcohol beverages correlated positively with those of sulfur dioxide. finally, a questionnaire survey of 366 asthmatic patients conducted in 2000 found that 33% reported asthma symptoms in response to alcoholic beverages; there was a significant association between wine-induced asthma and asthma triggered by sulfite-containing foods, by aspirin, and by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaid) other than aspirin. the study suggested the salicylate-"contaminates" in wine may contribute to these responses. in other studies, d.p. agarwal and colleagues associated race-based variations in the activity alcohol-metabolizing enzymes with the occurrence of alcohol flush reactions to alcohol and alcoholic beverages in certain asian populations. this early work is the basis for further studies that have defined not only many alcohol-induced flush reactions but also many alcohol-induced respiratory reactions as due to racially associated genetic differences in alcohol-metabolizing enzymes.
alcohol-induced respiratory reactions
increasing calls for the introduction of warning labels on alcoholic beverages have occurred after tobacco packaging warning messages proved successful. the addition of warning labels on alcoholic beverages is historically supported by organizations of the temperance movement, such as the woman's christian temperance union, as well as by medical organisations, such as the irish cancer society. the impetus to add alcohol packaging warning messages to containers of alcoholic beverages "reflect[s] a growing evidence base relating to the relationship between alcohol consumption and a range of health problems including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, overweight and obesity, liver disease, fetal abnormalities, cognitive impairment, mental health problems, and accidental injury". even light and moderate alcohol consumption increases cancer risk in individuals. as of 2014, alcohol warning labels are required in many countries, including brazil, colombia, costa rica, france, guatemala, mexico, russia, south africa, taiwan, thailand, and the united states. modern alcohol advertising promotes alcoholic beverages heavily “as though it was not a toxic substance”. the alcohol industry has tried to actively mislead the public about the risk of cancer due to alcohol consumption, in addition to campaigning to remove laws that require alcoholic beverages to have cancer warning labels.
alcohol packaging warning messages