<unk>  is absorbed throughout the gastrointestinal tract, but more slowly in the stomach than in the small or large intestine. For this reason,<unk>  consumed with food is absorbed more slowly, because it spends a longer time in the stomach. Furthermore,<unk>  dehydrogenase is present in the stomach lining. After absorption, the<unk>  passes to the liver through the hepatic portal vein, where it undergoes a first pass of metabolism before entering the general bloodstream.<unk>  is removed from the bloodstream by a combination of metabolism, excretion, and evaporation.<unk>  is metabolized mainly by the group of six enzymes collectively called<unk>  dehydrogenase. These convert the ethanol into acetaldehyde (an intermediate more toxic than ethanol). The enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase then converts the acetaldehyde into non-toxic acetic acid. Many physiologically active materials are removed from the bloodstream (whether by metabolism or excretion) at a rate proportional to the current concentration, so that they exhibit exponential decay with a characteristic half-life (see pharmacokinetics). This is not true for<unk> , however. Typical doses of<unk>  actually saturate the enzymes' capacity, so that<unk>  is removed from the bloodstream at an approximately constant rate. This rate varies considerably between individuals. Another sex-based difference is in the elimination of<unk> . People under 25, women, or people with liver disease may process<unk>  more slowly. Falsely high<unk>  readings may be seen in patients with kidney or liver disease or failure. Such persons also have impaired acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, which causes acetaldehyde levels to peak higher, producing more severe hangovers and other effects such as flushing and tachycardia. Conversely, members of certain ethnicities that traditionally did not use<unk> ic beverages have lower levels of<unk>  dehydrogenases and thus "sober up" very slowly but reach lower aldehyde concentrations and have milder hangovers. The rate of detoxification of<unk>  can also be slowed by certain drugs which interfere with the action of<unk>  dehydrogenases, notably aspirin, furfural (which may be found in fusel<unk> , fumes of certain solvents, many heavy metals, and some pyrazole compounds. Also suspected of having this effect are cimetidine, ranitidine, and acetaminophen (paracetamol). Currently, the only known substance that can increase the rate of<unk>  metabolism is fructose. The effect can vary significantly from person to person, but a 100 g dose of fructose has been shown to increase<unk>  metabolism by an average of 80%. Fructose also increases false positives of high<unk>  readings in anyone with proteinuria and hematuria, due to kidney-liver metabolism. The peak of blood<unk>  level (or concentration of<unk>  is reduced after a large meal.
Blood alcohol content
Blood gas tension
Blood protein
Fatty acid ratio in food
Blood sugar level
Phenolic content in tea
Oxygen saturation 
Oxygen saturation