OpenUCT :: Browsing by Author "Viljoen, D.L."

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Effect of oral fructose on ethanol elimination from the bloodstream
(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), 2003) Berman, P.; Baumgarten, I.; Viljoen, D.L.
Alcohol has been identified as a major factor contributing to traffic accidents in South Africa, affecting both drivers and pedestrians alike. An agent capable of facilitating ethanol metabolism safely and effectively is of potential value in reducing the frequency of such incidents, and for individuals wishing to reduce their blood alcohol to levels below the legal limit before taking control of a vehicle. Here we show that fructose, at a dose of 1 g/kg, fulfils the criteria for such an agent. When ingested by healthy volunteers who had imbibed ethanol equivalent to 8 standard tots, it reduced the time required to attain a legal blood alcohol level (50 mg%) by approximately 70 min (n = 9). When ingested before a dose of alcohol equivalent to a double tot, fructose reduced both the magnitude and duration of the subsequent increase in blood alcohol; mean peak height, area under the curve, and time taken to reach zero were 39%, 32% and 51%, respectively, of that observed in the absence of fructose (n = 12). We conclude that, whether taken after imbibing alcoholic beverages or prophylactically before commencing drinking, oral fructose significantly lowers blood alcohol levels and reduces the time required for alcohol to disappear from the bloodstream.