ARS | Publication request: THE EFFECTS OF MODERATE ALCOHOL SUPPLEMENTATION ON ESTRONE SULFATE AND DHEAS IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Submitted to: Nutrition Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: September 7, 2004
Publication Date: September 7, 2004
Citation: Mahabir, S., Baer, D.J., Johnson, L.L., Dorgan, J.F., Campbell, W., Brown, E.M., Hartman, T.J., Clevidence, B.A., Albanes, D., Judd, J.T., Taylor, P.R. 2004. The effects of moderate alcohol supplementation on estrone sulfate and dheas in postmenopausal women. Nutrition Journal. 3:11-14.

Interpretive Summary: Moderate alcohol consumption can increase the circulating concentration of some hormones associated with risk of breast cancer, such as dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and estrone sulfate. We have previously demonstrated that after 8 weeks of consuming 1 or 2 drinks/day, concentration of both hormones increases. In this study, we examine the time-to-effect by measuring the concentration of these hormones after 4 weeks of consuming either 1 or 2 drinks/day in fifty-one postmenopausal women. Compared to the initial measures, after 4 weeks, estrone sulfate increased an average 6.9% (not significant) when the women consumed 1 drink per day, and 22.2% (P=0.0006) when the women consumed 2 drinks/day. DHEAS concentration also increased significantly by an average of 8.0% (P<0.0001) after consuming 1 drink/day and 9.2% (P<0.0001) after consuming 2 drinks/day. Moreover, we found no significant difference between the concentrations of serum estrone sulfate after 4 weeks than after 8 weeks for both levels of alcohol intake. However, DHEAS levels did increase significantly between week 4 to week 8 of consumption. These data indicate that the hormonal effects due to moderate alcohol consumption are seen early, within 4 weeks of initiation of alcohol consumption. These findings are important to health care professionals responsible for making dietary recommendations and to individuals concerned about their diet and risk for certain diseases, such as breast cancer.

Technical Abstract: We have demonstrated that moderate alcohol consumption (15 g/d, 30 g/d) for 8 weeks resulted in significantly increased levels of serum estrone sulfate and DHEAS in 51 postmenopausal women in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. We now report on the relationships between serum estrone sulfate and DHEAS levels after 4 weeks of moderate alcohol supplementation, and compare the results to the 8 weeks data to elucidate time-to-effect differences. At week 4, compared to the placebo, estrone sulfate increased an average 6.9% (P=0.24) when the women consumed 15 g of alcohol per day, and 22.2% (P=0.0006) when they consumed 30 g alcohol per day. DHEAS concentrations also increased significantly by an average of 8.0% (P<0.0001) on 15 g of alcohol per day and 9.2% (P<0.0001) when 30g alcohol was consumed per day. Trend tests across doses for both estrone sulfate (P=0.0006) and DHEAS (P<0.0001) were significant. We found no significant differences between the absolute levels of serum estrone sulfate at week 4 versus week 8 (P=0.32) across all doses. However, absolute DHEAS levels increased from week 4 to week 8 (P<0.0001) at all three dose levels. These data indicate that the hormonal effects due to moderate alcohol consumption are seen early, within 4 weeks of initiation of ingestion.