Original Communication
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2005) 59, 161–168. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602051 Published online 15 September 2004
Moderate alcohol consumption and levels of antioxidant vitamins and isoprostanes in postmenopausal women
Guarantor: TJ Hartman.
Contributors: PRT was the overall principal investigator for the parent study, JTJ and DJB were coprincipal investigators, and WSC was the research nurse and project coordinator. TJH formulated the present hypotheses. PRT, TJH, DJB, JTJ, JFD, BAC, WSC, and PAL contributed to the study design and data collection. LBG, CEP, WLS, EWG, and KBT were responsible for the biomarker analyses, which were conducted at three laboratories. TJH, PSA, and PRT contributed to the statistical analysis. TJH, EWG, WLS, CEP, KBT, PSA, DJB, JTJ, JFD, and PRT contributed to interpretation of the results. TJH was responsible for writing the report.
T J Hartman1,2, D J Baer3, L B Graham4, W L Stone5, E W Gunter6, C E Parker4, P S Albert2, J F Dorgan7, B A Clevidence3, W S Campbell2,3, K B Tomer4, J T Judd3 and P R Taylor2
- 1Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- 2Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
- 3USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, MD, USA
- 4Laboratory of Structural Biology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
- 5East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, USA
- 6The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, Atlanta, GA, USA
- 7Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Correspondence: TJ Hartman, 5 Henderson, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. E-mail: tjh9@psu.edu
Received 12 May 2004; Revised 6 July 2004; Accepted 4 August 2004; Published online 15 September 2004.
Abstract
Background: Although alcohol intake has been positively associated with breast cancer risk in epidemiologic studies, the mechanisms mediating this association are speculative.
Objective: The Postmenopausal Women's Alcohol Study was designed to explore the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on potential risk factors for breast cancer. In the present analysis, we evaluated the relationship of alcohol consumption with antioxidant nutrients and a biomarker of oxidative stress.
Design: Participants (n=53) consumed a controlled diet plus each of three treatments (15 or 30 g alcohol/day or a no-alcohol placebo beverage), during three 8-week periods in random order. We measured the antioxidants, vitamin E (alpha (
)- and gamma (
)-tocopherols), selenium, and vitamin C in fasting blood samples which were collected at the end of diet periods, treated and frozen for assay at the end of the study. We also measured 15-F2t-IsoP isoprostane, produced by lipid peroxidation, which serves as an indicator of oxidative stress and may serve as a biomarker for conditions favorable to carcinogenesis.
Results: After adjusting for BMI (all models) and total serum cholesterol (tocopherol and isoprostane models) we observed a significant 4.6% decrease (P=0.02) in -tocopherol and a marginally significant 4.9% increase (P=0.07) in isoprostane levels when women consumed 30 g alcohol/day (P=0.06 and 0.05 for overall effect of alcohol on -tocopherol and isoprostanes, respectively). The other antioxidants were not significantly modified by the alcohol treatment.
Conclusions: These results suggest that moderate alcohol consumption increases some biomarkers of oxidative stress in postmenopausal women.
Sponsorship: NCI, NIH and ARS, USDA.
Keywords:
alcohol, antioxidants, oxidative stress, isoprostanes
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