why does protein counter-act alcohol?

[Chooco]

proteins are organic molecules that have amino groups on them
amino means it has an NH2 on the end and alcohol means it has an OH in there somewhere.

how does the amino counter act the alcohol exactly? let's take an example.
NH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH2-NH2 (this is just an example of a protein)+ CH3-CH2-OH

now we know that functional groups are reactive sites. what i'm thinking is that an H from the NH2 binds to the OH to make water and bind connect the protein to the remaining ethyl group (the CH3-CH2)

does anybody know?


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[FalseChristian]

What am I? A f*cking Biochemist?!?

 

[Chooco]

you mean you're not? stop slacking behind the rest of the AT people! 😉

 

[Shuten]

By counter act what do you mean. Do you mean it will react with one another?

The possiblilty that immediately comes to mind that there is hydrogen bonding occuring.
But that doesnt mean there will be a reaction to "counter-act" anything. Just means the
alcohol will be easily bound to the protien.

But I dont think there is any case where the protein would react with an alcohol. Simply because
both species are fairly stable. You might be able to tweak them into reacting. I think this is a safe
assumption because otherwise the protein in your muscles would be highly screwed up fairly
permanently everytime we drank alcohol or excercised (lactic acid- ethanol I believe).

If remember correctly, when our body performs alcoholic fermentation it is not protein which
removes the lactic acid but a derivative of a sugar (pyruvate)

 

[Chooco]

if you drink on an empty stomache or at least one without protein in it, you will get totaly hammered off like 2 beers. if you have a meal with lots of protein such as a steak, you can drink 5 beers and not even start to feel a buzz.

 

[dkozloski]

It's not the protein it's the fat in the steak. Fat retards the absorption of alcohol in the gut. It's a well known strategy to ingest several tablespoons of butter before going out for a night on the town if you want to drink everyone else under the table.

 

[Nefrodite]

Originally posted by: dkozloski
It's not the protein it's the fat in the steak. Fat retards the absorption of alcohol in the gut. It's a well known strategy to ingest several tablespoons of butter before going out for a night on the town if you want to drink everyone else under the table.

but how long do you have before the tablespoons of butter are passed from your stomach to your gut?

 

[Sahakiel]

I was under the impression that the reason protein in, say, a steak, slows alcohol absorbtion is because it's a much more complex molecule to break down than sugars and the like. The protein stays in the stomache longer so that it gets broken down before hitting your intestines so the alcohol you drink afterwards spends the same amount of time. Fat is probably more complex than protein so it takes even longer.
I don't know if the alcohol will pass right through if it isn't ingested or what-not, but I believe in the end, your body will absorb the same amount of alcohol as if you didn't eat the steak, but it just comes in smaller doses; up until the steak runs out.
Long story short, I doubt it's a chemical reaction, it's more of your body's method of digesting stomache contents.

 

[zzzz]

protein will not react with alcohol as someone else mentioned. If taken with or after protein/fat rich food, it will take a longer time to reach blood stream.