• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.65-77
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• 1986

To elucidate the effect of exercise on blood concentrations of ethanol, lactate and glucose in men who show facial flush after ethanol ingestion, 59 healthy male college students were studied. After 6 or more hours of fasting, the subjects were administered 3 ml of 25% ethanol solution(Soju) per liter of total body water. For control experiment Soju was replaced with the same dose of water. Exercise performed was vertical jumping on a rebounder for 3 min immediately after drinking. The subjects were classified into 6 groups: water ingestion(W), flushed (F) and non-flushed (N) groups after ethanol ingestion, water ingestion and exercise(WE), flushed(FE) and non-flushed (NE) groups after ethanol ingestion and exercise. Blood ethanol concentration in the exercise groups(NE, FE) was lower until 60 min after drinking than that in the non-exercise groups(N,F). Factor k representing the rate of ethanol absorption was markedly lower in the exercise groups than in the non-exercise groups. The flushed groups(F,FE) showed higher blood ethanol level than the non-flushed groups (N,NE) from 30 to 120 min after drinking. Blood lactate concentration in WE group was elevated immediately after exercise and returned to the resting level at 60 min after exercise. Ethanol increased blood lactate level from 30 to 120 min after ethanol drinking, Exercise after ethanol ingestion produced a sharp increase and then drop in blood lactate level which was stilled significantly higher than the resting level all the way through 120 min. Blood glucose concentration was decreased at 15 min after exercise. Ethanol-administered groups except F group showed a steady decrease in blood glucose level from 30 through 120 min. Heart rate was elevated by ethanol only in the flushed groups. Heart rate in F group was significantly increased at 4 min after ethanol and was maintained at high level until 120 min. In WE and NE groups, heart rate was significantly increased immediately after exercise and returned to the resting level at 60 min. The FE group, however, showed a consistently elevated heart rate throughout the 120-min experimental period. Taken together, the exercise alone produced a delayed ethanol absorption, a prompt increase in heart rate and blood lactate level and a decrease in blood glucose level early in the recovery period from exercise. After ethanol administration, blood lactate was elevated and blood glucose was lowered from 30 to 120 min. Flushed subjects showed rapid increase in heart rate after ethanol drinking and higher blood ethanol level than non-flushed ones from 30 to 120 min after drinking.