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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Breath Alcohol Level and Plasma Amino Acids: A Comparison between Older and Younger Chronic Alcohol-Dependent Patients
Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on September 22, 2008


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.

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 (≥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.

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.

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