Effect of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on Plasma Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate, Testosterone, and Estradiol Levels in Middle‐Aged Men and Postmenopausal Women: A Diet‐Controlled Intervention Study

Abstract

Background: Moderate alcohol consumption is inversely associated with cardiovascular diseases. Changes in hormone levels might in part help explain the positive health effect. This study was performed to examine the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), testosterone, and estradiol levels.Methods: In a randomized, diet-controlled, crossover study, 10 middle-aged men and 9 postmenopausal women, all apparently healthy, nonsmoking, and moderate alcohol drinkers, consumed beer or no-alcohol beer with dinner during two successive periods of 3 weeks. During the beer period, alcohol intake equaled 40 and 30 g per day for men and women, respectively. The total diet was supplied and had essentially the same composition during these 6 weeks. Before each treatment there was a 1 week washout period, in which the subjects were not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages. At the end of each of the two experimental periods, fasting blood samples were collected in the morning.Results: Moderate alcohol consumption increased plasma DHEAS level by 16.5% (95% confidence interval, 8.0 -24.9), with similar changes for men and women. Plasma testosterone level decreased in men by 6.8% (95% confidence interval, Ϫ1.0 -Ϫ12.5), but no effect was found in women. Plasma estradiol level was not affected. Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level increased by 11.7% (95% confidence interval, 7.3-16.0), with similar changes for men and women. The overall alcohol-induced relative changes in DHEAS, testosterone, and estradiol correlated positively with the relative increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (adjusted for the relative change in body weight); however, findings were only borderline significant for DHEAS and estradiol (r ϭ 0.44, p ϭ 0.08; r ϭ 0.32, p ϭ 0.21; and r ϭ 0.46, p ϭ 0.06, respectively).Conclusions: A protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption for cardiovascular disease risk may in part be explained by increased plasma DHEAS level.

Subjective effects and changes in steroid hormone concentrations in humans following acute consumption of alcohol

“…However, observational data (Field et al 1994;Kiechl et al 2000;Ravaglia et al 2002), as well as two long-term, dietcontrolled intervention studies in pre-and postmenopausal women (Dorgan et al 2001;Reichman et al 1993) showed increased plasma DHEA-S concentrations after moderate alcohol consumption. Similarly, recent reports in postmenopausal women and middle-aged men show that individuals with higher levels of alcohol consumption have higher DHEA-S concentrations (Onland-Moret et al 2005;Mahabir et al 2004;Sierksma et al 2004).…”

Moderate alcohol consumption and increased bone mineral density: potential ethanol and non-ethanol mechanisms

“…In relation to this latter observation, it is interesting to note that in the absence of ethanol oestrogenic activity of wine extracts has been demonstrated (Klinge et al 2003) while that of beer, for example, appears to be minimal (Promberger et al 2001). Furthermore, Henk Hendrik's group (Sierksma et al 2004) have shown in a carefully-controlled intervention study that beer ingestion for 3 weeks in men and post-menopausal women (30 g ethanol/d) has no effect on plasma oestradiol levels. Further work is therefore required to determine whether wine drinking may differ in this respect, because of some non-ethanol components.…”

“…In post-menopausal women or in men, who have lower natural levels of oestradiol than premenopausal women, the evidence for an effect of moderate alcohol ingestion is more limited. While the majority of studies show no effect of alcohol on oestradiol levels (Ginsburg et al 1996;Ginsburg, 1999;Sierksma et al 2004), the two studies that do show an effect for post-menopausal women are either inconsistent amongst their subgroups (Purohit, 1998) or suggest beverage specificity (i.e. positive for wine but not other beverages; Purohit, 1998).…”

Age‐related changes in testosterone and SHBG among Turkana males

“…FTI did not differ between vegan and meat-eaters in any of the three studies. Furthermore, smoking has been related to elevated T and SHBG, both by survey (Allen et al, 2002;Svartzberg et al, 2003) and experimentally (English et al, 2001), while Sierksma et al (2004) report a small reduction in T with moderate alcohol consumption.…”