title: Is ethanol an important antioxidant in alcoholic beverages associated with risk reduction of cataract and atherosclerosis?
abstract: It has been reported in the epidemiological literature that cataract, stroke, and atherosclerosis risk is reduced by 50% in people consuming one alcoholic drink per day. Peroxide has been implicated as a causative agent in cataractogenesis, and LDL oxidation appears to play a role in atherosclerosis. The antioxidant activity of alcohol was measured by: (i) use of a luminescent assay developed in our laboratory, confirmed as appropriate; (ii) electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping; and (iii) copper-catalysed oxidation of LDL and VLDL from hamsters fed 6% ethanol in their drinking water. Ethanol reduced the luminescent counts/min from peroxide and superoxide. It significantly reduced the spin-trapped signal of hydroxyl radical, but not the superoxide signal. Other alcohols also showed large reductions in counts from hydrogen peroxide. Plasma from hamsters fed 6% ethanol had lower lipid peroxides and the oxidizability of LDL and VLDL was significantly reduced compared to controls. These data provide a possible explanation for the effect of beverages containing ethanol in the reduction of cataract and atherosclerosis risk observed in human population studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Trevithick
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Vinson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caulfeild
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Derksen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bocksch
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stefan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Teufel
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirst
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Trevithick
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002386:Cataract / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL / Q000097:blood*; D049449:Luminescence; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D008079:Lipoproteins, VLDL; D000431:Ethanol