Potent inhibitory effect of alcoholic beverages upon gastrointestinal passage of food and gallbladder emptying

Abstract

Background and aimsCurrent knowledge about the effect of alcoholic beverages on postprandial functioning of the digestive system is scarce and inconsistent. This study addresses their influence upon meal movement along the gut and meal-induced gallbladder emptying.MethodsThree examination blocks involved each 12 healthy volunteers. Ingestion of a solid 1485 kJ meal was followed by intake of 400 ml beer (4.7 %vol), 200 ml red wine (13.7 %vol) or 100 ml whisky (43.5 %vol) or matching volumes of control fluids. Gastric myoelectrical activity and emptying, orocecal transit and gallbladder emptying was monitored noninvasively.ResultsAlcoholic beverages (beer, red wine, whisky) caused a significant slowdown of the gastric evacuation of the solid meal, the delay being the more potent, the greater was the concentration of ethanol. This inhibitory effect was not caused by interference with the gastric myoelectric activity. Alcoholic beverages produced only by fermentation (beer, red wine), at odds with the effect of their counterpartying aqueous ethanol solutions, did not elongate the orocecal transit of the solid food. Products of distillation—whisky and high proof ethanol solution—elicited a profound delay of the orocecal transit. Alcoholic beverages exerted an inhibitory effect upon the meal-stimulated gallbladder emptying, the magnitude of which increased in the order: beer → red wine → whisky.ConclusionAlcoholic beverages exert an inhibitory effect upon the gastric emptying of a solid food and the meal-induced gallbladder emptying, whereas the effect upon the orocecal transit depends on the type of a beverage—whisky elicits a delay but beer or red wine are devoid of this effect.

Red wine enhances glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and insulin responses in type 2 diabetes during an oral glucose tolerance test

“…Both GIP and GLP-1 responses to ingested glucose depend on the glucose load, such that higher rates of glucose entry into the duodenum induce greater incretin secretion [24]. Although we do not know the reason for the greater rate of increase of plasma glucose, it seems unlikely that it is related to gastric emptying, because alcohol has been consistently shown to inhibit the rate of gastric emptying of both liquid and solid food [25][26][27]. Finally, it must be noted that an enhanced insulin response after pretreatment with alcohol can be elicited via intravenous infusion of glucose, which bypasses the stimulus for GIP and GLP-1 secretion [14,15,17].…”

Toxicology and the biological role of methanol and ethanol: Current view

“…whisky has around 40% v/v (ref. 25 ), the same is true for ethanol in tequila 26 , and the typical rum has around 40% (ref. 27 ).…”

Bitters: Time for a New Paradigm

“…The American pharmacologist Tyler suggested that for aperitifs it was the alcohol rather than the tastants which were responsible for any improvements in digestion [ 13 ]. While various alcoholic beverages do delay gastric emptying [ 39 – 41 ], including aperitifs [ 42 , 43 ], the amount of alcohol found in a single dose of bitters made from either fluid extracts or tinctures is minimal (0.5–1.5 mL) and unlikely to affect gastric emptying.…”