Eating a meal increases the clearance of ethanol given by intravenous infusion

We studied the effect of eating a meal on the rate of ethanol elimination (clearance) from the blood after giving 0.4 g/kg by intravenous infusion to six female and six male volunteers. Half of the subjects had eaten breakfast whereas the other half had fasted overnight. After the first infusion of alcohol, those who had fasted ate lunch, and all the volunteers received a second infusion with the same dose of ethanol. The blood ethanol concentration was measured repeatedly for up to 180-240 min after the start of each experiment. Intake of food (lunch or breakfast) increased the clearance of ethanol by about 60% (P < 0.001). Alcohol intoxication was less pronounced at the end of the ethanol infusions preceded by eating a meal (P < 0.01). Gender had no significant effect on the rate of ethanol elimination. We conclude that eating a meal increases the rate of ethanol elimination even when alcohol is given by intravenous infusion.