title: Breath alcohol level and plasma amino acids: a comparison between older and younger chronic alcohol-dependent patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study is to examine the distribution of plasma excitatory and inhibitory amino acids, according to the age and current breath alcohol levels (BrAl+/-), of alcohol-dependent patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  78 alcohol-dependent patients (mean age=46.2+/-11 years, men/women=54/24) were clinically tested, including the determination of the major excitatory as well as inhibitory amino acids. The independent variables were gender, age and current alcohol consumption measured with the breath alcohol level (BrAl+/-status).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison to BrAl negatives, BrAl positives had higher plasma levels of glutamic acid (P=0.01) and proline (P=0.026), and lower levels of aminobutyric acid (P=0.002), serine (P=0.031) and urea (P=0.01). In the BrAl positives, no age effect was found related to the plasma amino acids. In contrast, the BrAl negatives displayed age-related differences. The older (>or=50 years) BrAl negative patients had higher plasma levels of cystine, tyrosine, citrulline and urea, and lower histidine levels, compared to the younger group (<50 years). In general, differences in plasma levels of certain amino acids were dependent on gender, BrAl status, age and biochemical markers (GGT, MCV) of alcohol abuse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abstaining patients (BrAl-/) display age-related differences in AAs' distribution, while active drinking (BrAl+/) seems to even out those differences, underpinning the hypothesis that drinking mimics changes seen with advanced age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, A-1090 Vienna, Austria. Henriette.walter@meduniwien.ac.at
authors.forename: Henriette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: William B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Schlaff
authors.forename: Otto M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Lesch
authors.forename: Libor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vitek
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zima
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hartl
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dvorak
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gutierrez-Lobos
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Thau
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Witte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000097:blood*; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D000431:Ethanol