Citation

Stranger J, Graw M, Besserer K, Haffner HT. Blutalkohol 1999; 36(5): 269-275.

Affiliation

Institut fur Rechtsmedizin, Sektion Verkehrsmedizin, Universitat Heidelberg, D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, International Committee on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety and Bund gegen Alkohol und Drogen im Straßenverkehr, Publisher Steintor Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Endogenous methanol levels and production were assessed in four test persons on three occasions: first, after no food had been consumed and after medicinal bowel cleansing, second, after a 2-day period of eating more or less low-pectin food and third, after a two-day period eating pectin-rich vegetarian food. In order to reduce the short-term influences of the food consumed, investigations II and III were commenced 5 hours after the last meal was eaten. The endogenous serum methanol levels after clearing the bowels reached 0.353 (plus or minus) 0.120 mg/kg, after the consumption of low-pectin food they reached 0.732 (plus or minus) 0.616 mg/kg, and after the consumption of pectin-rich food 1.063 (plus or minus) 0.982 mg/kg. The differences, however, could not be regarded as significant. The rate of methanol production after clearing the bowels was determined at 0.277 (plus or minus) 0.081 mg/kg/h, after low-pectin food was consumed at 0.285 + 0.078 mg/kg/h, and after pectin-rich food was consumed at 0.475 (plus or minus) 0.127 mg/kg/h. The difference after pectin-rich food was consumed was significant on the 5 % level. The endogenous levels and the production rates showed a significant positive rank correlation (p lt 0.05). Methanol resorption from the intestines cannot be explained as the only source of endogenous methanol levels. Apparently, pectin-rich food leads to an increase in the rate of endogenous methanol production. Whether pectin-rich food leads to an increase of the endogenous methanol level could not be clarified for certain.