Acetaldehyde (systematic name ethanal) is an organic chemical compound with the formula CH3CHO, sometimes abbreviated by chemists as MeCHO (Me = methyl). It is one of the most important aldehydes, occurring widely in nature and being produced on a large scale in industry. Acetaldehyde occurs naturally in coffee, bread, and ripe fruit, and is produced by plants. It is also produced by the partial oxidation of ethanol by the liver enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase and may be a contributing factor to hangovers from alcohol consumption. Pathways of exposure include air, water, land, or groundwater, as well as drink and smoke.[4] Consumption of disulfiram inhibits acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, the enzyme responsible for the metabolism of acetaldehyde, thereby causing it to build up in the body

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetaldehyde

So it would be very hard to avoid AH....but look at what it does to us:

1. It alters red blood cell structure. It has been known since 1941 that AH easily combines with red blood cell membrane proteins to convert the red blood cells into a "time-release capsule" for AH, releasing the AH in the body far from the site where it attached to the red blood cell.
Source: http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/ALDEHYDES.htm

2. reduces ability of red blood cells to accept, hold, and transport oxygen. Anyone tired?

3. decreases ability of the protein tubulin to assemble into microtubules, this means the tubule cannot: (1) provide structural support to the neuron (2) transport nutrients and biochemical raw materials made in the cell to the dendrites (when the dendrites don't get their nutrients, they die off just like in Alz. and alcoholism).

4. Induces a B1 deficiency/depletes B1. B1 is known as the "nerve vitamin", it is so critical to nerve health. How does AH do this? AH combines with B1 and depletes it. Even a moderate B1 deficiency results in Wernicek-Korsakoff syndrome:
mental confusion
poor memory
poor neuromuscular coordination
visual disturbances

5. By depleting B1, AH also creates a deficiency of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter critical for memory and learning:

"In a classic experiment reported in 1942, R.R. Williams and colleagues found that even mild B1 deficiency in humans continued over a long period of time (the experiment ran six months) produces symptoms including apathy, confusion, emotional instability, irritability, depression, feelings of impending doom, fatigue, insomnia, and headaches, all symptoms of less-than-optimal brain function." And that was only six months.
Source: http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/ALDEHYDES.htm

6. B1 is also necessary for the production of ATP....insufficient B1 = insufficient ATP/fatigue.

Has anyone dealt with trying to reduce/eliminate acetaldehyde in their body? If so, what did you do?

I like your out of the box thinking and willingness to look at PD from multiple perspectives. I know acetaldehyde is a toxic byproduct of having candidiasis, usually in the gut. But i believe if one has an overgrowth of candida that it is the result usually of antibiotic usage. I think in terms of gut dysbiosis, where there is a disruption in the balance of friendly virsus pathogenic bacteria. Once this balance has shifted toward favoring a predominance of pathogenic organisms, we are in trouble. There is good evidence to suggest the efficasy of human probiotic infusion to improve the health of the human microbiome. The gut and the brain are connected.

Aldehydes may also play an important role [5]. Biogenic aldehydes are cytotoxic, can cause protein cross-linking [6] and promote α-synuclein oligomerization.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%...l.pone.0031522

Candida

Another important exposure route to toxic acetaldehyde levels is through its production by the opportunistic yeast, Candida albicans. In small numbers, this yeast may be kept in check in the gut by the immune system and friendly bacteria such as Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. But in many people, increasing carbohydrates, especially sweets, will cause chronic Candidiasis. Candida produces acetaldehyde in the GI tract by sugar fermentation. The typical American diet along with drug and antibiotic therapies, hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid), chronic stress, environmental toxins, etc. have altered gut integrity and immunity and predisposed millions of people to yeast overgrowth or the “Candida Syndrome.”4 A person with this condition who also drinks beer, wine or liqueurs not only produces acetaldehyde from the alcohol but also delivers more sugar for yeast production of acetaldehyde, creating a double-barreled dose. Acetaldehyde produced in the gut can eventually reach more parts of the body, flooding the system and increasing the risk for damage.

Acetaldehyde and Nutrient Deficiencies

In addition to its toxic effects, acetaldehyde induces deficiencies of nutrients used for its detoxification. As an example, vitamin B1 (thiamine) is depleted through alcohol and acetaldehyde detoxification.16 B1 is essential in carbohydrate metabolism for energy production, of which the brain uses 20 percent. Acetaldehyde-induced B1 depletions exacerbate the already low B1 levels common in the population due to diuretics and other drugs, over-consumption of simple carbohydrates (dysglycemia) and adrenal stress. In addition to its many functions, thiamine, the “nerve vitamin,” is critical to nerves and neurotransmitters.

A solution to aldehyde poisoning?

Acetaldehyde Relief

Acetaldehyde toxicity can be acute or chronic. In order to stop this toxicity, levels of key nutrients that metabolize and clear acetaldehyde must be adequate. Some of these nutrients are cofactors to the enzymes that metabolize acetaldehyde and others, such as sulfur-containing compounds, are necessary to scavenge or “mop up” any stray un-metabolized acetaldehyde. Supplementation with specific nutrients offers an important level of prevention and protection from toxicity. In one animal study, pretreatment of the animals with B1, vitamin C and the sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine completely blocked the LD-90 dose of acetaldehyde (the dose that would normally kill 90 percent of the animals).



http://www.vrp.com/digestive-health/...-must-detoxify

Replacement of the nutrients used or destroyed by acetaldehyde prevents deficiency damage and symptoms and facilitates the metabolism of acetaldehyde into acetate. N-acetly-cysteine and Lipoic acid have also been demonstrated to have an exceptionally powerful protective effect against acetaldehyde toxicity.

http://www.advance-health.com/redwine.html