Enzyme activities and glycogen concentration in skeletal muscle in alcoholism. The effect of abstinence and physical conditioning.

. Muscle metabolism of chronic alcoholics has been studied using a muscle biopsy technique immediately after a drinking period, after 6–7 days' abstinence and after one month's physical conditioning. The activities of CPK, HK, LDH, MDH and SDH were significantly decreased in musculus vastus lateralis for 1–2 days after an alcoholic debauch. The enzyme activities of the alcoholics, who either had been abstinent for 6–7 days or in addition conditioned for one month, did not differ from those of the controls. The concentration of muscle glycogen was at the same level in both groups, but in bicycle ergometer work of an equal relative intensity the alcoholics used more glycogen than the control …