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Review
. 2010 Apr;7(4):1285-301.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph7041285. Epub 2010 Mar 25.

Alcohol and acetaldehyde in public health: from marvel to menace

Rui Guo  1 , Jun Ren
Affiliations
Review

Alcohol and acetaldehyde in public health: from marvel to menace

Rui Guo et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

Alcohol abuse is a serious medical and social problem. Although light to moderate alcohol consumption is beneficial to cardiovascular health, heavy drinking often results in organ damage and social problems. In addition, genetic susceptibility to the effect of alcohol on cancer and coronary heart disease differs across the population. A number of mechanisms including direct the toxicity of ethanol, its metabolites [e.g., acetaldehyde and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs)] and oxidative stress may mediate alcoholic complications. Acetaldehyde, the primary metabolic product of ethanol, is an important candidate toxin in developing alcoholic diseases. Meanwhile, free radicals produced during ethanol metabolism and FAEEs are also important triggers for alcoholic damages.

Keywords: acetaldehyde; alcohol; human health; metabolism.

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