ALCOHOL INTAKE CORRELATED WITH SERUM TRACE ELEMENTS

Alcohol intake and serum copper, selenium, magnesium, iron andzinc were investigated in 85 subjects, 48 males and 37 females.Alcohol intake was measured with a questionnaire probing alcoholintake during the preceding 30 days. Mean average daily intakeamong males was 119.7 g (range 0–622.3 g) and among females32 1 g (range 0–378.5 g), and the mean consumption perdrinking day among males was 208.5 g (range 0–666.7 g)and among females 63.8 g (range 0–63.8 g). Among malesalcohol intake per drinking day correlated positively with serumcopper (r = 0.50; P < 0.001) and negatively with serum selenium(r = -0.49; P < 0.001) and magnesium (r = 0.40; P < 0.01).Likewise, among females alcohol intake per drinking day correlatedpositively with serum copper (r = 0.54; P < 0.01) and negativelywith serum magnesium (r = –0.36; P < 0.05). Serum seleniumconcentration was negatively and significantly correlated withaverage daily intake (r = –0.34; P < 0.05) but notwith intake per drinking day. No significant correlations werefound between alcohol intake and serum zinc or iron levels.Only two men, both abstainers, had abnormally low serum zinclevel, and two other men (average daily alcohol intake <37g) and two women (average daily alcohol intake <15 g) hadabnormally high serum iron level. Alcohol intake was associatedwith high serum copper and low serum magnesium and seleniumlevels.