The consequences of imbibing alcohol in the absence of adequate nutrition: the salt and water hypothesis

Effect of Moderate White Wine Consumption on Serum IgA and Plasma Insulin under Fasting Conditions

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The present study aims to investigate the contribution of alcohol toxicity to the development of malnutrition by assessing the effect of consuming a moderate amount of white wine on plasma insulin and serum IgA under fasting conditions.

METHODS

A total of 5 non-alcoholic males aged between 19 and 22 years participated in the current investigation. The experimental procedure required participants to undergo a 6-hour fast before ingesting 4 standard units of alcohol (40 g) in the form of white wine over a 120-min period. The level of blood alcohol, plasma insulin and serum IgA was assessed at 30-min intervals across the 120-min experimental period.

RESULTS

Consuming alcohol promotes a significant increase in serum IgA in the absence of any change in plasma insulin or ketone production in fasted individuals.

CONCLUSION

White wine prior to a meal does not promote glucose metabolism and utilization and may increase the risk of developing a transient diabetic condition due to an alteration in energy metabolism.

Role of selenium depletion in the etiopathogenesis of depression in patients with alcoholism [corrected]

Chronic heavy alcohol consumption adversely affects both macronutrients and micronutrients. Alcohol use affects selenium status. Considerable evidence suggests that selenium status may modify mental function. The author suggests that the effects of alcohol intake on mood, behavior, and cognition may be partly mediated by biological changes related to selenium deficiency. It has been observed that there is a trend towards the normalization of selenium levels in patients with alcoholism after a relatively short period of abstinence from alcohol. It has also been observed that when depression develops in persons with alcoholism, they are likely to improve fairly rapidly after a relatively short period of abstinence from alcohol without therapy aimed at the depressive symptoms. The author suggests that improvement in depressed patients after a period of abstinence from alcohol might be in part related to the normalization of selenium status. Treatment and prevention of comorbid alcoholism and mood disorders require more attention by research workers, practicing physicians, and the general public. Future studies of the etiology and pathogenesis of mood disorders in patients with alcoholism are merited.

The effect of a moderate level of white wine consumption on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis before and after a meal

The nutritional status of the individual at the time of alcohol consumption may mediate the rate of alcohol absorption and metabolism, thus influencing the systemic effect of alcohol on the body. The aim in the present investigation was to assess the effect of moderate white wine consumption on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis under variable nutritional conditions. Seven males aged between 19 and 22 years participated in all aspects of the current investigation. The experimental procedure for the fasting trial required participants to ingest either 4 standard units of alcohol (40 g) or the equivalent amount of placebo over a 135-min period before consuming food for 45 min. Alternatively, in the feeding trial, food was consumed for 45 min prior to participants ingesting either 4 standard units of alcohol (40 g) or the equivalent amount of placebo over a 135-min period. Blood alcohol, salivary cortisol, and salivary dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels were assessed at 45-min intervals during the 180-min experimental periods. The results demonstrated a significant alcohol-induced decrease in salivary cortisol irrespective of nutritional status and a significant decrease in salivary DHEAS when alcohol is consumed alone under fasting conditions only. It was concluded that moderate white wine consumption may promote a transient alteration in the functioning of the HPA axis.