Studying alcohol elimination using the alcohol clamp method.

Researchers studying alcohol absorption and metabolism in humans have been aided by the alcohol clamp method, in which alcohol is administered intravenously, allowing study participants to achieve and maintain a target breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) for an extended period of time. This tool minimizes the variability in BrACs that occurs after alcohol consumption by administering alcohol at a dose and rate that is computed for each person individually. The alcohol clamp can be used to evaluate several influences on alcohol elimination, including gender, ethnicity, genetic variations in alcohol-metabolizing enzymes, and food consumption.