Search

Alcohol is one of the major risk factors for negative health outcomes worldwide. It accounts for more than 60 alcohol-related diseases, ranging from addiction, through liver cirrhosis, to cancer. Collectively, these conditions account for mortality and morbidity that make alcohol use one of the leading preventable causes of disability adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost globally. In this book, an international faculty covers all aspects of alcohol-related disorders, ranging from addiction/alcohol use disorders (AUD) to alcohol-related diseases of other organs such as liver, heart or cancer. A special focus is to reach out to primary care physicians who are in the front line of this major health problem. The book also provides an update for addiction specialists, as well as specialists in internal medicine, gastroenterology and hepatology. The book is divided into sections that include epidemiology, alcohol use disorders and addiction, alcohol-related liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis,primary care and interdisciplinary approaches and other alcohol-related diseases. Besides current diagnostic measures and treatment strategies, the book deals with the many underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms of alcohol toxicity. Novel insights include prospective data on all-cause mortality and the emerging major role of alcohol-mediated hemolysis and enhanced red blood cell turnover. The book also aims at guiding policy makers to handle the topic of alcohol in our society more responsibly.

Substance misuse and addictions are a public health issue. They affect the well-being of each community and nation as a whole. It is, therefore, necessary to identify, educate, and treat individuals who are addicted to substances. Policies and procedures go hand-in-hand with public health education and safety. The science behind the public health issues of one drug may be applicable to other drugs as well. However, marshalling all of the aforementioned information into a single source is somewhat difficult due to the wide array of material. The Editors address this by compiling the research in this single reference work that serves as a'one-stop-shopping'approach to everything readers need to know about the scientific basis of public health and addictions and agents of misuse.Apart from active agents that have a plant or chemical basis, there is a need to consider that there are other forms of addiction which may havecommon modes of causality or prevention. These include food addiction, gaming, gambling, and other non-drug addictions. These types of addiction may be related to the addiction of drugs.The Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions: From Biology to Public Health offers a holistic understanding of the relationship between public health and substance misuse. The text provides a common platform upon which other forms of addiction or substance misuse can be understood and treated. Addiction processes involve understanding the biological processes as well as behavior, psychology, sociology, and public health, all of which are interlinked. This Handbook is a useful reference for lecturers, students, researchers, practitioners, and other professionals in public health, addiction science, epidemiology, health education, health promotion, and health sciences.

Molecular Aspects of Alcohol and Nutrition is a valuable resource for nutrition researchers and nutritionists who study or treat alcohol-related diseases. Experts from across the field of alcohol research explain how alcohol disrupts normal fat, carbohydrate, and protein metabolic processes occurring in the liver as well as other parts of the body. The book discusses how this can lead to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) as well as contribute to the onset of Type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. It also explores how alcohol affects nutrient absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and can lead to anemia and reduced amounts of fat soluble vitamins. This book explores both the primary and secondary consequences of alcohol consumption. Chapters in the first section investigate the basic science of alcohol metabolism – focusing on how alcohol and its toxic metabolites disrupt and impair normal nutrient regulation at the molecular level. Further chapters explore how alcohol affects many extra-hepatic organs and tissues as well as the secondary consequences of alcohol consumption such as reduced levels of minerals like magnesium, calcium, and trace elements like zinc. - Offers a valuable resource for nutrition researchers and nutritionists who study alcohol-related diseases and attempt to treat them through nutritional strategies - Explores how alcohol and its toxic metabolite acetaldehyde disrupt and impair normal macro and micro nutrient regulation at the molecular level - Investigates how alcohol affects and interferes with cell signaling, cell death pathways, calcium homeostasis leading to osteoporosis, oxygen balance, as well as the pathophysiology of alcohol consumption and abuse

Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking are among the major risk factors for cancer. Simultaneous indulgence further increases the risk for especially cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract due to the interaction of several metabolic and genetic factors. The first part of this book addresses in detail the correlations between alcohol and carcinogenicity, focusing on specific organs such as the upper aerodigestive tract, liver, colon, pancreas and breast. This includes the impairment of methionine-folate metabolism and DNA methylation by alcohol, as well as the use of s-adenosylmethionine to prevent cancer. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of reactive oxygen species and iron in producing liver cancer are addressed. The second part is dedicated to the role of tobacco in lung and digestive tract cancers and to their prevention, highlighting the role of phytochemicals. More specifically, the mutagenic, mitogenic, precarcinogenic, anti-apoptotic, and immunosuppressive properties of nicotine which are involved in the development of cancer, and the possible use of nicotine vaccine in the prevention of mortality associated with tobacco, are discussed. Highlighting general mechanisms leading to cancer and providing the latest information on the underlying mechanisms whereby alcohol consumption and tobacco use initiate and/or promote carcinogenesis, this book is a valuable source of information for all those interested in the topic.