Ethanol stimulates triglyceride synthesis by the intestine.

In vivo ethanol given acutely or chronically by two dietary means resulted in significant increases in [1-(14)C]palmitate incorporation into triglyceride by intestinal slices or microsomes derived from intestinal slices. In vitro, 2.6 percent ethanol, an amount comparable to that found in t..e intestinal lumen of social drinkers, also resulted in significant increases in [1-(14)C]palmitate incorporation into triglyceride. Pyrazole, an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase, diminished the stimulatory effect of ethanol both in vivo and in vitro. These data may provide a new insight into the effects of alcohol, and specifically on the possible contribution of intestinal triglyceride synthesis to alcoholic hyperlipemia and the alcohol-induced fatty liver.