title: Blood thiamine, zinc, selenium, lead and oxidative stress in a population of male and female alcoholics: clinical evidence and gender differences.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Long term alcohol abuse is associated with deficiencies in essential nutrients and minerals that can cause a variety of medical consequences including accumulation of toxic metals.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this research is to get evidence-based data to evaluate alcohol damage and to optimize treatment. Thiamine and thiamine diphosphate (T/TDP), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), lead (Pb) and oxidative stress in terms of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) were examined in blood samples from 58 alcohol dependent patients (17 females and 41 males).
  
  
  RESULTS
  T/TDP concentration in alcoholics resulted significantly lower than controls (p < 0.005) for both sexes. Serum Zn and Se did not significantly differ from reference values. Levels of blood Pb in alcoholics resulted significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than Italian reference values and were higher in females than in males. ROMs concentration was significantly higher than healthy population only in female abusers (p = 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcoholics show a significant increase in blood oxidative stress and Pb and decrease in thiamine. Impairment occurs mainly in female abusers confirming a gender specific vulnerability.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nazionale Sostanze Chimiche, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. rosanna.mancinelli@iss.it
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mancinelli
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barlocci
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciprotti
authors.forename: Oreste
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Senofonte
authors.forename: Rosanna Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Fidente
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Draisci
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Attilia
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vitali
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiore
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ceccanti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D057229:Alcoholics; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013831:Thiamine / Q000097:blood*; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D007854:Lead; D012643:Selenium; D015032:Zinc; D013831:Thiamine