Abstract
Depressed selenium and Vitamin E levels may contribute to hepatic injury through lipid peroxidation. To study the effect of moderate alcohol drinking (32.4±23.6 g ethanol/d) on serum selenium and serum vitamin E concentrations, we conducted a matched-pair study of 73 healthy, well-nourished risk drinkers and healthy controls with little or no alcohol consumption. Among risk drinkers, serum selenium was significantly lowered (1.49 vs 1.67 μmol/L;p<0.001) compared with controls. Difference in α-tocopherol concentrations did not, however, reach statistical significance (22.8 vs 24.9 μmol/L;p=0.06). Nutritional and life-style factors differed very little between the two groups. We conclude that even moderate alcohol consumption lowers selenium status. Selenium may thus represent a link joining the hepatotoxic and nutritional backgrounds of alcoholic liver disease.
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Ringstad, J., Knutsen, S.F., Nilssen, O.R. et al. A comparative study of serum selenium and vitamin E levels in a population of male risk drinkers and abstainers. Biol Trace Elem Res 36, 65–71 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02783780
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02783780