Alcohol distributes to tissues with high water content, including which?

Alcohol distributes to tissues with high water content, including which?

• A. Hair and Nails
• B. Adipose Tissue
• C. Bone
• D. Brain and Muscle

Answer: (D)

Ethanol distributes to tissues with high water content because it is highly soluble in water and follows the body’s total water space. The volume of distribution for alcohol roughly tracks total body water, so tissues that contain a lot of water—like brain and skeletal muscle—take up more ethanol quickly and equilibrate with blood. Adipose tissue has relatively little water, so it accumulates far less alcohol. Hair and nails are keratin structures, not fluid compartments, and bone contains less free water due to its mineralized matrix. So the tissues most involved are those with high water content, namely the brain and muscle.

Ethanol distributes to tissues with high water content because it is highly soluble in water and follows the body’s total water space. The volume of distribution for alcohol roughly tracks total body water, so tissues that contain a lot of water—like brain and skeletal muscle—take up more ethanol quickly and equilibrate with blood. Adipose tissue has relatively little water, so it accumulates far less alcohol. Hair and nails are keratin structures, not fluid compartments, and bone contains less free water due to its mineralized matrix. So the tissues most involved are those with high water content, namely the brain and muscle.