Alcohol intake, androgen and glucocorticoid steroids in premenopausal women using oral contraceptives: an interventional study.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial
PubMed 11566440 · doi:10.1016/s0960-0760(01)00088-7
What was done
Nine healthy premenopausal women using oral contraceptives completed a placebo-controlled crossover interventional study. Participants consumed alcohol at a dose of 0.8 g/kg per day for one week versus a placebo period. The authors measured plasma glucocorticoid and androgen levels at morning and afternoon non-intoxicated time points, acute transient testosterone responses, post-discontinuation plasma cortisol, and conjugated androgen and glucocorticoid metabolite ratios in morning spot urine samples.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Directionally, one week of drinking produced no tolerance to acute transient alcohol-induced testosterone elevations. At non-intoxicated time points, plasma testosterone and androstenedione levels were elevated during the alcohol period compared with placebo in the afternoon, but not in the morning. Plasma cortisol increased following discontinuation of alcohol. Total glucocorticoid conjugates in morning spot urine were unchanged, but alcohol intake increased urinary etiocholanolone/androsterone, tetrahydrocortisol/allotetrahydrocortisol, and 20-hydroxy-/20-ketosteroid ratios. No consistent effect was seen on the (tetrahydrocortisol + allotetrahydrocortisol)/tetrahydrocortisone ratio.
Why it matters
This study suggests that short-term regular alcohol consumption can alter diurnal plasma androgen levels and hepatic steroid metabolism in women on oral contraceptives, offering a potential mechanism for alcohol-induced endocrine disturbances.
Limits
The sample size was extremely small (n = 9), and the intervention lasted only one week. Findings are restricted to premenopausal women taking oral contraceptives and may not generalize to non-users, men, or chronic long-term heavy drinkers. No specific numbers, baseline values, or statistical variance metrics were reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Consuming 0.7 grams of alcohol per kilogram of body weight morning and evening for one week elevates total testosterone levels in premenopausal women.