Chemical Collective

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You're listening to locally produced programming created in KUNV Studios on Public Radio. KUNV 91.5. Welcome to another episode of The Chemical Collective.

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The Chemical Collective offers you your weekly dose of drug facts while dispelling fiction. Today, we're talking about the alcoholic beverage whiskey and some of its effects on the brain and society.

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I am Dr. Dustin Hines. I am April Contreras.

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And I'm Kendra McLaughlin. Whiskey is a staple of most bars and restaurants.

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Compared to other drugs we've talked about on the show, our audience might want to know and might be even more familiar with it. But where does it come from? And how did humans first start consuming it?

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Yeah, there are actually a few theories from multiple regions about where and how whiskey was first created. One theory suggests that whiskey was first made in ancient Mesopotamia, which is a historical region in Western Asia, which it was pretty much used as for medicinal purposes. And other theories suggest that whiskey was first produced in Ireland, where it was known as Ushkabeha.

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I probably said that completely wrong.

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I'm Irish, so I can say Ishkabaha.

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Thank you.

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Which actually means water of life in Gaelic. And then in Scotland, whiskey was first made in the 15th century and was known as Uisge Beatha, which is similar to the Irish term that Dr. Hedges mentioned earlier. But Scottish whiskey was originally made from malted barley and aged in oak barrels, giving it its distinct flavor. But over time, whiskey production spread to other parts of the world, including the U.S., where it became a popular drink during the colonial period. American whiskey is typically made from things like corn, rye, or wheat, and is aged in charred oak barrels.

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Kendra, you mentioned that whiskey has been used for medicinal purposes for a long time. And April, I know you always have a focus on your research on therapeutics. What are the therapeutics of

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whiskey, if any? Yeah, whiskey has a long history of being used for medicinal purposes, dating back to ancient times, and some of these include to relieve pain, to be used as a digestive aid, to help treat your cold and flu, as an antibacterial agent, and just a general tonic for overall health. So some examples of relieving pain, the alcohol and whiskey was believed to have sort of a numbing effect on your body, which helps alleviate your pain. Whiskey was also used as a digestive aid for stomach pains, nausea, indigestion, and it's believed that the alcohol and whiskey was just able to stimulate digestion and relieve any GI discomfort. As for cold and flus, people usually pair whiskey with honey and lemon.

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Hot toddy.

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Hot toddy. And when you warm that up, it kind of helps ease your sore throat. It also helps you relieve congestion and induce some sleep. As an antibacterial agent, people have used whiskey to help prevent infections. They put it in the wound to kill harmful bacteria and disinfect. And as a general tonic, people sometimes use it to just boost overall health and well-being. It's believed that it helps stimulate the body to provide a temporary boost of energy. And while many of these uses of whiskey as a medicine have been largely discredited by modern science, whiskey is still sometimes used as a home remedy for various ailments.

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Yeah, I find it funny in my lifetime, even the take on alcohol in general has gone from none to some to a little in moderation is good. And lately, it's really gone back to any amount of alcohol at all is not good for you. So that's fascinating. So we're talking about whiskey today. Is whiskey a homogenous think-ender or are there many different types of whiskey?

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There are many different styles and variations of whiskey. Each has its own essentially like unique flavor. It has a different production process as well as its cultural significance. For instance, there's Scotch whiskey, Irish whiskey, bourbon, rye, Japanese whiskey, as well as Canadian whiskey. But for instance, Scotch, it's typically made from malted barley and aged in oak barrels, and it's known for its more smoky and peaty flavor, whereas Irish whiskey is made from a blend of malted and unmalted barley and is aged in oak barrels as well, but it's more so known for its smooth and mellow flavor. Whereas bourbon, that's made in the US and it's made from grain mixture that's at least 51% corn and is aged in charred oak barrels as well, but it's known for its sweet and more vanilla-y flavor. Whereas rye, it's more so known for its spicy and peppery flavor, and Japanese whiskey, it's made directly in Japan, and it pretty much is modeled after scotch, but it's more so known for its delicate, complex flavors. It's often made with a blend of malted and unmalted grains. And then lastly, the Canadian whiskey is often a blend of different grains, including corn, rye, and barley, and is known for its smooth and light flavors. In addition to these types, there are variations that create different subtypes within each one of them, which is pretty cool to think about. For instance, there's single malt scotch whiskey, as well as things like Tennessee whiskey,

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and blended whiskeys.

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So I'm thinking about all these different types that you've just talked about, and then I can imagine it has to be a different process to make an alcohol out of corn, say, versus out of rye. So how does the preparation of whiskey change between scotch, urban, single malt, some of these things that Kendra just talked about?

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So there are three major factors that contribute to the different preparations of a whiskey. You want to consider the grains that are being used, how the whiskey is being distilled over time, and then further to that, aged. So some examples, Scotch whiskey is made from malted barley, water, and yeast, and the grains are typically dried using peat smoke, which gives the whiskey the very distinctive smoky flavor you might identify and associate with it. The malted barley is then mashed and fermented, and the resulting liquid is distilled twice in a contraption called a copper pot still. And the whiskey is then aged for at least three years in oak barrels, so the barrel's gonna be really important on the type of whiskey you're making. And even though three years is a minimum, people usually age it for a lot longer than that. Then we've got bourbon. So bourbon is made from a mash bill. And a bill is just a list of grains that are being used. A bourbon bill consists of at least 51% corn. And the remaining grains can be made of either rye, wheat, or barley. And then the grains are mashed, fermented, and then the liquid's gonna be distilled in, again, either a pot still, or sometimes they use a column or version. And by law bourbon is supposed to be aged in new but charred oak barrels for at least two years, although most people like to age their bourbon for four or more. And then we've got our blended whiskey which is a combination of two or more different types of whiskey. So the malt whiskey is going to be made using the same process as scotch while the grain whiskey is going to be made from a mash pill similar to that for bourbon. And so the two types of whiskey are blended together, aged in oak barrels, and the period of time is something that you can mess with and adjust to get your desired flavor profile. And so while the preparation of scotch, bourbon, and blended whiskey all have similar processes, such as mashing, fermenting, and aging, that specific grains used and the details of how it's distilled and the aging process are what differ and can give you your profile of interest.

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So I know we're talking about these columns and these stills and I know that's relatively a modern invention in the 1500s. So it makes me want to think or ask the question then, how have we really changed how we use whiskey over time?

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Yeah, interestingly enough, whiskey has a varied and long history that started off with medicinal use. It was used to help a variety of ailments, from toothaches all the way to smallpox. And then it moved into more of a social drink by the 17th to 18th century. And it became this popular drink that was custom to have at taverns and pubs and was often used as a form of currency. It was also used as a gift and people would offer up a bottle of whiskey at parties and social events. And then we moved into the Industrial Revolution and whiskey production became more efficient and the drink became more widely available. This ultimately led to an increase in its popularity and became a staple drink in many parts of the world. And then later on, the US introduced the prohibition in the 1920s, which made the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol in general illegal. So this led to the decline in the use of whiskey and other alcoholic beverages. And then we saw post-prohibition, when the prohibition was repealed in the 1930s, the popularity of whiskey increased again and it became a symbol of like rebellion and independence, if you will. And it was associated with the Roaring Twenties and you know, the Jazz Age. And then that led us to, you know, today where whiskey is still a popular drink. There's many different types and brands available. It's often associated with luxury and sophistication and it's enjoyed by people around the world. There are also, we're seeing this resurgent in the popularity of whiskey and different types of cocktails as bartenders are experiencing, experimenting with new recipes and techniques

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and stuff like that.

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Yeah, I was looking online before this and some of the single malt Japanese whiskeys are thousands of dollars. So you can see how there'd be an elitism. And that's also very interesting to me that with all these chemicals we talk about in the show, there always seems to be an era of prohibition or we can't use that compound or drug and that's when it flourishes. Things just take off. So it doesn't seem to be an answer to stopping things. Are there any traditional customs or ceremonies associated with just whiskey in particular?

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Yeah, there are several traditional customs and ceremonies associated with whiskey, particularly in Scotland and Ireland, where the drink has a long history and cultural significance. Some examples are the Quake Ceremony. It's a Scottish custom in which a silver or wooden cup called a quake is filled with whiskey and passed around each member. It's a form of gathering to symbolize friendship and hospitality. Then there's Burns Night. It's an annual Scottish celebration held on January 25th to commemorate the life and work of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. It usually involves a ceremonial supper during which participants drink whiskey and recite Burns poetry.

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I've been to a couple of these and I have to say, whiskey is probably involved because you have to eat this thing called haggis, which is like huge scabs in oatmeal, so you

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need something to put that down. And we've got whiskey tastings, which occur in both Scotland, Ireland, but are pretty popular in the United States also, where people gather to taste different types of whiskey, sample, and discuss the whiskey's unique characteristics and flavors. It's pretty customary to hold wakes following the passing of a loved one and during wakes friends and families gather to share stories and memories. Whiskey is often served as a way to honor this person. And then St. Patrick's Day, which is actually not very common, but there is some anecdotal evidence that people probably partake in it during that time.

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Yeah, I think it's basically called Amateur Day in America. It really only exists here. How does whiskey work on our favorite organ, the brain? And what, if you can deduce it to that, what receptors are involved?

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Whiskey, like other alcoholic beverages, works in the brain by interacting with various neurotransmitters and receptors. The primary psychoactive ingredient in whiskey is ethanol, which can have a range of effects on the brain depending on the dose or frequency of consumption. When whiskey is consumed, ethanol is quickly absorbed in the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body, which includes the brain. So ethanol specifically enhances the activity of different receptors like GABA-A, which is the main inhibitor or inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. This leads to an overall decrease in brain activity producing that sedative effect that has been reported while drinking things like whiskey. It also has an effect on blocking NMDA receptors, which are important for things like learning and memory. This can lead to impaired cognitive function and memory recall after consuming whiskey. And then we also see increases in things like dopamine release in the brain's reward pathway, leading to the pleasurable effects that people have talked about while drinking things like whiskey, as well as there being an increase in serotonin release, which can have a contributing factor in the mood uplifting effects of whiskey. In addition to these receptors, the interaction of whiskey can also affect brain levels of other neurotransmitters, things like acetylcholine, glutamate, as well as endocannabinoids. So I'm not hearing a

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single this is affecting glutamate, this is affecting serotonin, seems like a lot of neurotransmitters?

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Yeah, so whiskey affects acetylcholine, which is a major player in your memory, learning, and attention. And so after ingesting whiskey, cholinergic activity is actually decreased in the brain, which leads to those impairments in your cognitive function and memory deficits. Glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, probably what you think of when you think of brain chemicals, also plays a really critical role in learning and memory. And alcohol inhibits the release of glutamate, also leading to a decrease in cognitive function and impairments of memory. And a really interesting group are the endocannabinoids. And these play a major role in regulating a lot of modulatory processes, regulating your mood, appetite, and even pain. And studies have shown that a whiskey can increase endocannabinoid activity, which may contribute to the pleasurable effects of alcohol use and the development of addiction.

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Yeah, I know there's a big study by Pavodel, and a lot of people are talking about this in Nevada right now, the act of cross-fading. What cross-fading is when you drink alcohol and you take endocannabinoids at the same time. There's a little bit of worry that it's leading to a little more alcoholism. More data to come in on that. Does whiskey then, I was kind of trying to put that all together, have an effect on memory and more importantly memory consolidation, the ability to keep and make those memories? In short, yes.

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Whiskey can have an effect on memory consolidation, and that's pretty much the process by which memories are stabilized and stored in the brain, and it's essential for learning and long-term memory retention. Studies have shown that alcohol, including whiskey, can impair memory consolidation, particularly in the period immediately following consumption. This is because alcohol disrupts the normal functioning of the hippocampus, which is a region of the brain that plays a critical role in memory consolidation. The effects of whiskey on memory consolidation are of course dose dependent and can vary depending on the amount of whiskey consumed and as always the frequency and individual factors.

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Okay, always my fault, we got way, way too much into the brain there, my favorite thing, brains and receptors. Can we expand a little more on how whiskey affects the rest of the body?

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Yeah, when you think about the effects of whiskey on the body, you want to consider the short-term and long-term effects. So some short-term effects that you might notice right away are dehydration. Whiskey is a diuretic, which means it can increase urine production and lead to your dehydration. This further causes headaches, fatigue, and some other symptoms.

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Yeah, and I know for alcohol, a lot of people don't know this a you should not drink so much alcohol that you get a Hangover, but most of the effects of a hangover are because of dehydration So make sure that if you're drinking you go two glasses of water for everything that you're drinking and don't drink too much

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I'm following some problems that occur really short-term are problems and digestion can irritate the lining of your stomach and intestines Which can induce nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some long-term effects of alcohol use, including whiskey, are liver damage, including cirrhosis, which can be life-threatening, as well as an increased risk of cancer. So long-term heavy drinking has been linked to an increased risk of several types of cancer,

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including liver, breast, and colon cancer. One of the things I notice when I have a Manhattan, a stiff whiskey drink, is that right away I feel like hot or flushed. I can feel my heart kind of moving. How does whiskey affect the cardiovascular system? Whiskey can

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actually affect the cardiovascular system in like several ways. We see increased heart rate and blood pressure, as you alluded to, which can temporarily increase them both and can be kind of dangerous for an individual with heart problems specifically. We see increases in things like blood clotting, which can lead to the formation of blood clots that cause heart attacks or even strokes in severe cases. And then long-term heavy drinking can actually lead to cardiomyopathy, which is a condition where your heart muscles become weakened and enlarged, leading to heart failure. And whiskey can also have an effect on your heart rhythms and cause amoralities, which can essentially increase the risk of stroke and heart failure as well. And whiskey can also increase triglyceride levels. That's a big word. Thank you, I'm tongue-tied today. Levels in the blood, which can increase the risk

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of developing heart disease.

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Yeah, and spoiler alert, everything we just mentioned there, you know, it's probably not just gonna be whiskey, it's probably gonna be most alcohols. So, how long does it take for whiskey to take effect? And I'm not saying you do a whole bunch of shots right away, what I'm saying is you sit down and you finish the average

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ounce cocktail. Generally speaking, the effects of whiskey can be felt within about 5 to 10 minutes of drinking, with the peak effect being around 30 to 45 minutes. But like any other drug, it's important to note that the effects of alcohol can vary widely between individuals and excessive or rapid consumption can be dangerous and potentially life-threatening. So it's recommended to consume responsibly and in moderation.

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Okay. How much whiskey is needed to fill those effects? So is it one, is it many, is it little, is it quarter ounce, is it milliliters, is it

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liters? Yeah, as usual, individual factors are going to take account into this, but the amount of whiskey needed to fill its effects can be anywhere between a standard serving, which is about 1.5 ounces or 44 mils, which contains approximately 40% alcohol or 80 proof. And it can take anywhere from up to one to three servings to fill its effects. And those effects may differ between males and females.

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But yeah.

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Okay, so I know a lot of people say, oh, I like to have a glass of whatever and it makes me sleep better. Is that true?

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And what does whiskey do to our sleep cycle? This is a great question. So whiskey and other alcohol beverages actually interfere with your sleep in several ways. And so there is a difference between sedation and sleep. While alcohol can make you feel a bit drowsy and maybe help you fall asleep faster, it actually disrupts the quality of your sleep and cause sleep disturbances later in the night. And it does this in multiple ways. So, first it disrupts your REM sleep, your rapid eye movement sleep, which is the stage of sleep where your dreams occur. And it's actually an important stage for restoring your brain and promoting mental and emotional health. So disruptions during your REM sleep can have long-term negative effects on your mental health. And you'll notice this if you have, you know, poor sleep. You wake up the next day, you might not feel as awesome as if you had better sleep. It interrupts your sleep cycle. So the natural sleep cycle that you have going in and out is disrupted overall.

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Okay. So again, that's one of the myths we've spelled, it's not really helping you sleep. Another one I hear is that, oh, when I have a drink, I feel so happy and it takes care of my anxiety. What does whiskey do to anxiety and depression?

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Whiskey can actually have a short and long-term effect on mental health, including anxiety and depression. We actually see increases in anxiety with people leading to more feelings of nervousness or being worried or restless. It also, like April was talking about, disrupts sleeps, which can lead to increased fatigue and irritability throughout the day, which can exacerbate anxiety or depression. We already talked about some of the disturbances in the brain chemistry, which can ultimately lead to mood changes. It can interfere with medication that people are already taking, leading to reducing the effectiveness of it and possibly causing negative side effects. And lastly, it also can increase the risk of addiction, which can have a negative impact on mental health and overall well-being. But it's important to note the relationship between alcohol and mental health.

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It's complex and can vary depending on many individual factors that we previously mentioned.

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But definitely not something that's going to help or ameliorate anything for sure. We can dispel that. What about, you know, that idea of the beer belly or the beer gut, whiskey, a lot of people say, you know, it has a lot of calories, obviously, can whiskey affect weight gain of an individual?

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Absolutely. While whiskey doesn't contain any fat or cholesterol, it is a source of calories, which contributes to your weight gain if you consume whiskey in excess. A single serving of whiskey, for example, just to picture it, is one and a half ounces or 44 milliliters, containing around 97 calories, which can add up quickly, yeah, if you're taking, you know, if you're taking more than one drink, two to three during the night.

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Yeah, and if you're doing, you know, a highball that has a whole bunch of Coke or something in that, you're getting a lot of calories. I always like to ask this question I think it's important to know I always call it the LD50 lethal dose 50 but is is it possible to overdose on

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whiskey? Yes an overdose on whiskey can lead to alcohol poisoning a potential life-threatening condition that can cause a range of symptoms that include confusion and disorientation, vomiting, seizures, slow or regular breathing. Sometimes there's a blue, tinge or pale skin that people see. There's also things like loss of consciousness, coma, and in severe cases, death. Drinking large amounts of whiskey in short periods of time or even binging your drink

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can increase the risk of overdosing or alcohol poisoning.

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So that sounds super dangerous, obviously. And I always try to tell people that when you're passed out, it's not a funny thing you're very close to death which makes me want to ask the question then how is whiskey regulated

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in the United States? Whiskey is regulated in the United States by several federal agencies including the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and the Food and Drug Administration FDA. The Alcohol Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is responsible for issuing the permits and regulating production, labeling, and advertising of the whiskey product, while the FDA is responsible for regulating the use of certain additives and colorings in the whiskey product itself. Additionally, each state has its own laws and regulations governing sale and distribution. Okay, so that's the U.S. How is whiskey regulated in other countries, we see that places like Scotland or Ireland, whiskey is subjected to strict regulations that govern its production, labeling, and marketing. For example, the production of Scottish whiskey is regulated by the Scottish Whiskey Regulation of 2009, which specify the ingredients that could be used, the production process, and the minimum age requirements.

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Okay, so this is my favorite part of the show, literally my favorite part of the show, where we've had people write in with various questions. Most of these are UNLV student questions, so I think they're always relevant. First question is, what is a hangover? Why did they happen? Who did they happen to?

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A hangover is a collection of unpleasant symptoms that occur after consuming too much alcohol. And some of these symptoms can include headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, dehydration, and even sensitivity to light and sound. And hangovers vary in their severity and duration depending on how old you are, how much you weigh, overall health, and the amount and type of alcohol you consumed. The exact causes of hangovers aren't totally understood but they're known to be caused by a combination of your dehydration, inflammation in the body, irritation of stomach lining, your disrupted sleep, and changes in your blood sugar levels. I always get that

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question what's the best way to not get a hangover and it's very simple don't drink too much don't drink at all. So we're talking about all these things and it strikes me you know if we ever the show on cocaine and we were to talk this it would be a very different show. Why is alcohol so normalized?

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One factor contributing to the normalization of alcohol in the United States is its widespread availability. You see bars, restaurants, liquor stores throughout the country openly selling it. And there's also this concept of the legal drinking age. It's almost like a rite of passage passage in the U.S. Many popular brands like sporting and sponsoring teams, music festivals and other cultural events all kind of highlight this. And people see it as it's part of the culture in general. But the normalization of heavy drinking can contribute to the alcohol-related problems that we spoke to, including addiction, injury and death. So as normalized as it is,

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it still can be problematic.

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For sure.

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This is a question we get a lot, and it always actually upsets me when we get this question, but let's put it out there so we get the facts. What is the maximum number of times you can blackout from alcohol before it becomes too dangerous? And maybe April, you could start with telling us what a blackout is.

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Yeah, so a blackout from drinking too much is actually alcohol poisoning. So you're probably going about taking all these drinks and then there's periods where you don't even remember anything and you're probably you know losing arousal and in a period of sedation and we like to say that blacking out one time is one time too many and it can be life-threatening.

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Yeah what I notice is that as soon as somebody's unconscious with alcohol they're one step away from coma and death. Like the breathing is changed, it's super super dangerous. So if you are blacking out at all, there's

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huge huge problems with your alcohol use. So it looks like we've reached our time

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for today. Thank you all for this great discussion. And thanks to those for discussion. And thanks to those for coming to listen to The Chemical