Search resultsBeer increases plasma antioxidant capacity in humans
Title
Beer increases plasma antioxidant capacity in humans
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2000
Authors
Journal
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry
Volume
11
Issue
2
Pagination
76 - 80
Date published
2000
ISBN
09552863 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, alcohol, alcohol consumption, alpha tocopherol, antioxidant, antioxidant activity, Antioxidants, article, beer, cardiovascular disease, Cholesterol, controlled study, Ethanol, Female, glucose, glutathione, human, human experiment, male, metabolic rate, normal human, nutritional value, polyphenol, polyphenols, TRAP, triacylglycerol, uric acid
Abstract
The positive association of a moderate intake of alcoholic beverages with a low risk for cardiovascular disease, in addition to ethanol itself, may be linked to their polyphenol content. This article describes the effect of acute ingestion of beer, dealcoholized beer, and ethanol (4.5% v/v) on the total plasma antioxidant status of subjects, and the change in the high performance liquid chromatography profile of some selected phenolic acids (caffeic, sinapic, syringic, and vanillic acids) in 14 healthy humans. Plasma was collected at various times: before (T0), 1 hour after (T1), and 2 hours after (T2) drinking. The study is part of a larger research planned to identify both the impact of brewing on minor components potentially present in beer and their metabolic fate in humans. Beer was able to induce a significant (P < 0.05) increase in plasma antioxidant capacity at T1 (mean ± SD: T0 1,353 ± 320 μM; T1 1,578 ± 282 μM), returning close to basal values at T2. All phenolic acids measured in plasma tended to increase after beer intake (20% at T1, 40% at T2). Syringic and sinapic acid reached statistical significance (P < 0.05 by one-way analysis of variance-Fisher's test) at T1 and T2, respectively. Plasma metabolic parameters (glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and uric acid) and plasma antioxidants (α-tocopherol and glutathione) remained unchanged. Ethanol removal impaired the absorption of phenolic acids, which did not change over the time of the experiment, accounting for the low (and not statistically significant) increase in plasma antioxidant capacity after dealcoholized beer drinking. Ethanol alone did not affect plasma antioxidant capacity or any of the antioxidant and metabolic parameters measured.