Effects of Moderate Ethanol Consumption with a n‐3 Diet on Inflammation and Total Antioxidant Capacity in Mice

Abstract

Excessive alcohol intake is known to elevate risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD); however, several studies have reported that moderate alcohol consumption may not contribute additional risk or may provide a protective effect against CVD. It is critical to understand how moderate ethanol exposure interacts with other essential dietary components such as n‐3 fatty acids to influence inflammation underlying CVD pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of moderate ethanol consumption as a function of dietary n‐6:n‐3 fatty acid composition on markers associated with inflammation and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in mice. Twenty‐three mice (12 male, 11 female) consumed an 18% ethanol solution or 26.9% maltose dextrin solution (non‐ethanol isocaloric control) for 12 weeks. In each group, half of the mice were fed either a high n‐6 (n‐6:n‐3 = 50:1) diet or a balanced n‐3 (n‐6:n‐3 = 1:1) diet ad libitum. There were no differences in initial body weight between the two groups; however, the control group gained significantly more weight than the ethanol group (P = 0.020) associated with higher maltose dextrin fluid intake (P < 0.001). C‐reactive protein and high mobility group box 1 protein were significantly lower in the ethanol group compared to the control group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.029, respectively). There was a significant main effect of n‐3 diet on total antioxidant capacity (TAC; P < 0.001) and no significant effect of ethanol on TAC. These findings indicate that moderate consumption of alcohol may improve inflammatory markers associated with CVD in mice; however, the results should be interpreted with caution due to the differences in weight gain between groups.