Alcoholism or Acetaldehydism?

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Abstract
Prolonged, excessive use of ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is associated with alterations in structure and function of a number of organs. These disorders have given rise to controversy over the relative importance of a direct toxic action of alcohol and the effects of the nutritional deficiencies that are often associated with chronic alcoholism. Recent evidence suggests that disorders of the liver,1 heart,2 and bone marrow,3 although aggravated and accelerated by nutritional deficiencies, are probably caused by cytotoxic actions of alcohol. The biochemical basis of this cytotoxicity is uncertain. Elsewhere in this issue, Korsten and his colleagues suggest that acetaldehyde, a metabolite . . .