Effects of moderate alcohol intake in fixed or variable amounts on concentration of serum lipids and liver enzymes in healthy young men.

To assess the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on fasting serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) concentrations, groups of normolipidemic, nonsmoking, nonathletes who were moderate drinkers aged 21-35 y and within 10% of ideal body weight consumed 40 g ETOH/d as beer (fixed drinkers) or maintained usual drinking habits (variable drinkers) for 6 wk, then abstained from all alcohol for 3 wk. A similar group of nondrinkers served as the control group. HDL-C concentrations increased significantly during alcohol consumption and decreased during abstention to initial values in both the variable and fixed drinkers. No significant difference was found between the two drinking groups. LDL-C and TC concentrations in variable drinkers were modestly lower than those in nondrinkers but not in fixed drinkers. No significant differences were found in TG, GOT, and GGT concentrations between the groups or during alcohol consumption or abstention. This study demonstrates that consumption of alcohol in fixed or variable amounts is associated with an increase in HDL-C. This increase is not due to an induction of GGT and GOT as speculated.

Copper and zinc status in moderate alcohol intake.

To determine the effects of moderate alcohol (ETOH) consumption on dietary intakes, serum and urine zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) concentrations (conc), groups of nonsmoking, moderate drinkers, non-athletes, healthy young adult males aged 21-35 years and within 10% of ideal body weight, consumed 40g of ETOH/day as beer (fixed group) or maintained normal drinking habits (variable group) for 6 weeks, and then abstained for 3 weeks. A similarly described group of non-alcohol drinkers served as the control. There was no alcohol effect on dietary Zn or Cu intakes, however, the control group had significantly higher intakes of Zn than the drinking groups. Cu intakes were the same in all groups. Generally, the serum Zn and Cu conc of the drinking groups only, markedly rose during ETOH consumption and fell during abstention. Although this trend was not observed in the control group, they had higher serum Zn and Cu conc than the drinking groups. In general, urine Zn conc remained constant from baseline to consumption period and then decreased during the abstention period in all groups studied. Results indicate that moderate ETOH consumption raised serum Zn and Cu conc but had no effect on dietary intakes of these minerals or on urine Zn levels.