Search resultsPhosphatidylethanol compared with other blood tests as a biomarker of moderate alcohol consumption in healthy volunteers: A prospective randomized study
Title
Phosphatidylethanol compared with other blood tests as a biomarker of moderate alcohol consumption in healthy volunteers: A prospective randomized study
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2015
Authors
Journal
Alcohol and Alcoholism
Volume
50
Issue
4
Pagination
399 - 406
Date published
2015
ISBN
07350414 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, alanine aminotransferase, alcohol, alcohol abstinence, alcohol consumption, article, aspartate aminotransferase, biochemical marker, blood sampling, carbohydrate deficient transferrin, comparative study, controlled study, Female, gamma glutamyltransferase, human, liquid chromatography, male, mean corpuscular volume, normal human, phosphatidylethanol, priority journal, prospective study, randomized controlled trial, receiver operating characteristic, tandem mass spectrometry, unclassified drug
Abstract
Aim: It is generally agreed that traditional alcohol biomarkers lack in sensitivity to detect hazardous alcohol consumption. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the ability of phosphatidylethanol (PEth) and traditional alcohol markers to detect moderate alcohol consumption and to distinguish between moderate alcohol consumption and abstinence. Methods: Forty-four subjects, 32 females and 12 males, were included in the study. They were randomized to alcohol abstention or to alcohol consumption. Female participants consumed 150 ml of red wine (equivalent to 16 g of alcohol) per 24 h and the male participants double the amount. The study lasted for 3 months. Blood samples were drawn at the start and at the end of the study period. Blood samples were analysed for PEth, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Results: ROC curves for the various biochemical markers were plotted in order to assess their ability to discriminate between abstention and moderate daily consumption of alcohol. PEth and CDT were the only markers with AUROCs significantly higher than 0.5, and PEth was detected in all participants randomized to alcohol consumption. Conclusion: PEth was the only marker that could detect moderate intake and the present results also indicate that PEth probably can distinguish moderate alcohol consumption from abstinence.