The consumption of alcohol ethanol especially after periods

The consumption of alcohol (ethanol), especially after periods of strenuous activity or after not eating for several hours, results in a deficiency of glucose in the blood, a condition known as hypoglycemia. Explain why does hypoglycemia result under these conditions?

Solution

During strenous excerise most of glucose is used by skletal muscle and gluocse concentration started to depleted. If not eating for several hours glucose concentartion is very low. During that time gluconeogenesis is started to take place to increase the glucose concentration to overcome the hypoglycemia.

If someone consume alcohol in that period alcohol is first converted into acetyaldehyde by using NAD⁺ by using alcohol dehydrogenase. In gluconeogenesis also NAD⁺ is important in cytoplasm to convert malate to oxaloacetate and Glycerol 3-phosphate to Dihydroxyacetone phosphate. So, there is a competation between alcohol dehydrogenase and Gluconeogenis for NAD⁺. So, Gluconeogenis process is very slow it leads to hypoglycemia.