Through what process is alcohol detoxified by the liver and removed from the blood?

The correct answer is oxidation. This process involves the chemical conversion of alcohol (ethanol) into acetaldehyde and then further into acetic acid before it is ultimately converted into carbon dioxide and water, which can be eliminated from the body. The liver is primarily responsible for this detoxification process, utilizing enzymes, particularly alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, to facilitate these conversions. This metabolic pathway is essential for clearing alcohol from the bloodstream and reducing its effects on the body.

Fermentation refers to the metabolic process that converts sugars to acids, gases, or alcohol using microorganisms like yeast, which is not related to how the body processes alcohol after consumption. Filtration typically involves the physical removal of substances from a liquid, which does not describe the biochemical processes that occur in the body. Absorption is the process by which the body takes substances into the bloodstream from the digestive system, but it does not pertain to the liver's method of detoxifying alcohol once it has entered the bloodstream. Therefore, oxidation is the most accurate process describing how the liver detoxifies alcohol.