Does excersise or drinking water help reduce EtG levels in your urine quicker?

While the result of exercise has never been tested in relation to EtG, based on what we know about ethanol metabolism it has little or no effect.

As EtG is water soluble that has been tested by several researchers and it is well known that "it is possible to decrease the urinary concentration of EtG to fall below the LOQ of the analytic method, simply by drinking moderate to large amounts of water or any other fluid prior to voiding."

This flaw in EtG testing was known before it was introduced into the US market (2004) even though "Internal and external dilution of the urine are well known [most practiced] strategies among drug abusers, to try to avoid detection when being tested for illicit drug use.

One of the many reasons that EtG testing cannot be relied upon for detecting alcohol consumption and use of the test is discouraged by US Health & Human Services and is not part of any federally regulated drug testing program."

Dahl, 2011

NOTICE: Any person or entity that is subjected to or relies on EtG testing should read this Advisory issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services, September 2006 and remains in effect as of date of this posting. Copy available here > US DHHS Advisory

Thanks.. you are always so informed... does drinking water days prior to a test help eliminate the EtG that has been produced since you are processing more urine? Or is it just the dilution on the day of the test that occurs? Doesn't some EtG get reduced in sweat as well? And... what about fiber? Does the GI tract play a role? Thanks for any help

To my recall you are the first person to pick up on the fact that water need not be consumed in quantity just before the test.

EtG/EtS are both direct metabolites of EtOH. Therefore can only be created while EtOH is in system. Once the EtOH is eliminated then no more EtG is created. If water is consumed while EtOH is still present then that dilutes the urine but EtG will return as the remainder of alcohol is metabolized. That is easily detectable by comparing the ratio of creatinine to EtG. I say easily but it is not done in the commercial testing industry.

EtG just as EtOH is hydrophilic. It doesn't store in fat or organs only in water such as contained in muscle. That means it does not accumulate in one's body.

Is EtG eliminated in sweat? I doubt it. EtG has a characteristic that can't be explained from a physiologic perspective. It is always higher in urine than in blood even while drinking and immediately thereafter. For a metabolite that is synthesized in the liver and must be filtered through the kidneys to reach the bladder that is near impossible. But test after test has demonstrated this phenomenon. That leads me to believe that the rapid clearance of the smaller amount of EtG in blood would prevent elimination in sweat.

About 20% of EtOH is metabolized in the stomach and to a lesser degree in the GI tract by the enzyme ADH, that is oxidative Phase I, metabolism and it is represented that no EtG is created as it results from Phase II metabolism. That also poses a quandary because even trace amounts of alcohol as little as 1 g have been shown to create EtG. That would seem to indicate that EtG is not exclusively a liver metabolite but can be created by most cells.

Far more questions than answers reside in the literature of EtG. None of the questions outlined above are currently being investigated. It is my suspicion that this test will have receded into irrelevance long before answers are obtained.

So... as etoh has been eliminated (I guess that would mean your bac is zero)... just to clarify the water issue... the EtG that has been created will be then eliminated via your urine... if you increase your urination frequency by an increase in liquids, does that reduce the length of time the EtG is able to be detected versus if you didn't? Or does the EtG just stay in the liver for a period regardless... I realize it varies from person to person... but in general... does increased frequency of urination contribute to reduce EtG detection periods?

Appreciate your thoughts

EtG doesn't stay in the liver. Increased urination due to water influx has to accelerate elimination after EtOH metabolism is complete.

Thanks so much... I think I now have a very good understanding of the process... seems like the science doesn't square up with the lab's marketing schemes

Thanks again

That is the exact observation of Dr. Greg Skipper and he is the one that first introduced the test to the US.