Subject: Indian urban/science myths (Salt & Alcohol)

From: [email-masked] (Peter Kwangjun Suk)
Date: Tue, 02 Apr 1996 14:35:21 -0500

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question.  However, I still need to
find a reference about the body "reducing blood pressure and
parasympathetic nerve response" reactions after eating.

Also note: make sure followups go to alt.folklore.science only.

I posted the following question to this newsgroup a while back:

> I have a couple of friends from India, and occasionally I find that there
> are a few items of "common sense" science where we disagree.  (Apparently
> there are a few cultural differences between there and here.)
> 
> So can anyone clear these up?
> 
>    o Does the human body produce its own alcohol as a by-product of digestion?
>      (Supposedly this is the reason that people feel relaxed after dinner.
>      I was always given to understand that it was blood collecting in the GI 
>      tract.  I am aware that a small amount of alcohol is produced by 
>      fermentation in the belly -- this must be accounted for when autopsies
>      are done and blood alcohol level is determined.  Is this enough to effect
>      one's mood?)
> 
>    o Does the addition of salt lower or raise the boiling point of water?
>      (I am aware that dissolving certain things in water will both lower
>      the freezing point and raise the boiling point.  (Alcohol & ethylene 
>      glycol for example.)  But would salt, being an ionic solid have the 
>      same effect?

Some answers to the question about alcohol:

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From: [email-masked] (William H. Sauer)
Organization: Penn Medical School

No, the body does not produce alcohol.  This is the first time I have ever
heard of this.  The relaxed feeling is due to hormonal influence on
reducing blood pressure and parasympathetic nerve response.  Alcohol has
similar effects on blood presure and nerve impulse.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "\"Alan \\\"Uncle Al\\\" Schwartz\"" <[email-masked]>
Organization: The Noble Krell

The average human body produces small amounts of alcohol (intestinal 
fermentation), carbon monoxide (hemoglobin degradation), opiates 
(enkephalins), tickles its marijuana receptors (anandamine), emits 
methane to destroy the environment (farts), and generally operates 
sloppily and irresponsibly - opening the door to $10,000/day-occurance 
EPA and OSHA fines.
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From: Joanne Kilian <[email-masked]>

Well, although many people could give you answers you would need to
find some scientific professional reference, or literary reference to
determine any truths.  Regardless, it is generally believed that one
feels relaxed after eating due to blood concentrating on digestion
(taking the energy away from other muscles).  That's why it's generally 
dangerous to do exercise after eating because the lack of blood in the 
muscles can lead to cramps.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Grasshopper <[email-masked]>
Organization: Express Access Online Communications USA: 800-969-9090

I can speak from a home-brewing perspective... fermentation is the action of
yeast consuming simple sugars and producing (as by-products) carbon dioxide
and alcohol.  The fermentation of beer typically takes 7-10 days, but can
take as short as 4 or 5 days or as much as 2 or 3 weeks, depending on many
variables.  However, the yeast go through 2 distinct phases: an aerobic
period in which they reproduce rapidly, and an anaerobic period in which they
simply do the fermenting thing.  The aerobic phase typically takes 1 to 3
days.

Based on this, I think it extremely unlikely that any fermentation can take
place in the human stomach to produce enough alcohol to affect the person's
mood; after all, the body moves the stomach contents to the small intestine
within hours.
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Some answers to the question about salt & boiling temperature:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Camilla Cracchiolo <[email-masked]>
Organization: Primenet (602)395-1010

Yes, salt raises the boiling point.  In fact, adding salt (NaCl) to 
water and measuring the freezing point depression is a pretty 
standard introductory chem experiment.  Naturally, since the 
freezing point depression is due to alterations in the vapor 
pressure of the liquid, the boiling point also rises.

source:  Silberberg _Chemistry: the Molecular Nature of Matter and Change_
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "\"Alan \\\"Uncle Al\\\" Schwartz\"" <[email-masked]>
Organization: The Noble Krell

Additon of a miscible solute to water raises its normal boiling +0.52 C 
and lowers its normal freezing point -1.86 C per molal of particles in 
(ideal, e.g., dilute) solution.  Thus a one molal solution of ethylene 
glycol gives you one molal of solute particles; a one molal solution of 
NaCl gives you two molal of particles (Na+ and Cl-).  See:  colligative 
properties
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--PKS

-- 
There's neither heaven nor hell, save that we grant ourselves
There's neither fairness nor justice, save what we grant each other
Peter Kwangjun Suk - [email-masked] - Musician, CSCI Graduate Student
[keyservers or finger [email-masked] for PGP public key]