Acute ethanol administration enhances plasma testosterone levels following gonadotropin stimulation in men.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Placebo-controlled crossover trial in healthy human volunteers
PubMed 3126515 · doi:10.1016/0306-4530(87)90080-1
What was done
Plasma levels of LH, FSH, prolactin (PRL), and testosterone were measured in six healthy men following a pharmacologic dose of GnRH (500 micrograms IV over 1 minute) administered alongside either oral ethanol (0.695 g/kg over 15 minutes) or an ethanol placebo.
What was found
Acute ethanol did not alter LH or FSH responses to GnRH, and PRL increased under both conditions. Ethanol significantly enhanced the testosterone response compared to placebo (p < 0.001). Under placebo, testosterone did not rise significantly until 100 minutes post-GnRH (mean increment: 101 +/- 20 ng/dl). Under ethanol, testosterone rose significantly within 30 minutes (mean increment: 187 +/- 42 ng/dl) and reached increments of 304 +/- 62 ng/dl at 60 minutes and 472 +/- 77 ng/dl at 105 minutes.
Why it matters
These findings show that acute ethanol intake acutely augments gonadotropin-stimulated testosterone release in healthy men, contrasting with the known testicular suppression seen with chronic ethanol exposure.
Limits
The sample size was very small (n = 6 men), limiting statistical precision and generalizability. The study used a single, large pharmacologic dose of GnRH rather than physiological pulsatile stimulation, tested only one dose of ethanol, and did not evaluate women or individuals with chronic alcohol use.
Cited by
- contradicts Acute alcohol consumption typically increases GnRH, LH, FSH, and estrogen/estradiol levels, while decreasing testosterone and progesterone levels.