Category Archives: Alzheimers

Apr 26 NO comments
adults, aging, alcohol, Alzheimers, antioxidants, cancer, dental health, diabetes, health, mortality, research, womens health

Moderate Alcohol Consumption Lowers Risk of Oral Cancer in Postmenopausal Women



It has been well documented that alcohol consumption is a strong risk factor for oral cancer, as well as other upper alimentary tract cancers, especially if it is combined with smoking.  Alcoholic beverages are chronic irritants to the throat, specifically on the oral and pharyngeal mucosa, which leads to chronic inflammation and the release of problematic free radicals and cytokines.  These free radicals can cause chain reactions with other compounds within the body, resulting in an increased risk for malignant tumors.

The ethanol in the alcoholic beverage, though alone is not dangerous, can metabolize and produce acetaldehyde, a mutagen and carcinogen, which binds directly to DNA and transcription factor proteins, which ultimately lead to tumor development and growth.  Alcohol consumption also changes the metabolic and hormonal equilibrium in the body, sometimes with positive implications for human health.  Mild to moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, Type-2 Diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. 

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For post-menopausal women, moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to have cardiovascular health benefits, by decreasing coagulation activity, improving dyslipidemia and antioxidant capacity, in addition to improving estrogen levels in the body.  For men (middle-aged), no alcohol or heavy alcohol consumption are risks for insulin resistant states, while moderate alcohol consumption decreases this risk following a U-like relationship.  In the elderly, lifetime alcohol consumption is associated with increased risk of Type-2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, as well as other diseases in a U-shaped relationship.  Conversely, in the elderly, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk of morbidity and mortality (no or excessive consumption leads to a higher risk).

In regards to oral cancer, the disease is more frequent among those with insulin resistant Type-2 Diabetes.  Some evidence has shown that moderate alcohol intake may reduce overall cancer risk in postmenopausal women by increasing insulin sensitivity, and maybe also increasing estrogen protection.

The aim of the study presented today, which was published last year, was to clarify the information in the literature regarding the dose-related risk of alcohol consumption for oral cancer by examining both male and female non-smoker patients.

Methods

A total of 608 non-smoking inpatients with histologically confirmed squamous cell oral carcinomas were included in this study (466 men and 142 women).  264 men and 142 women were used as tumor-free controls.

Data was collected via questionnaires and case reports.

For each female cancer patient, an aged-matched control was used (within 6 months of age difference).  For each male cancer patient, an aged-matched control was used (within 1 year age difference).

Participants were considered as “non-smokers” if they had never smoked at all, or if they haven’t smoked in 10 or more years.

Alcohol consumption habits were recorded, including how much and what type of alcohol was consumed.  Those drinking only on special occasions were considered non-drinkers.  Participants were considered moderate consumers if they drank less than 25g of alcohol per day (1 bottle of beer, 2dl of wine, or 0.5dl of spirits).  Participants consuming greater than 25g of alcohol per day were considered excessive drinkers.

Blood glucose levels were measured for all participants.  Those with glucose levels of 5.6mmol or higher were considered insulin resistant.  No Type-1 Diabetes patients participated in this study.  For postmenopausal women, ratios of postmenopausal cases and the mean onset of menopause were calculated for both cancer and control groups.

Results

  •       The mean age of female cancer patients upon admission was significantly higher than the mean age of male cancer patients.
  •        In the male cancer group, 41.8% were excessive drinkers, and 7.1% were moderate drinkers.
  •       In the male control group, 23.4% were regular drinkers, though out of those, the majority were excessive drinkers.

o   In men, excessive alcohol consumption was found to be a risk factor for oral cancer.
  •       In the female cancer group, the rate of regular alcohol consumption was significantly lower than the male cancer group (15.4% versus 48.9%).
  •       In the female cancer group, excessive consumption was predominant (12.6%) and moderate consumption was low (2.8%).
  •       In the female control group, excessive and moderate alcohol consumption rates were both low (2.1% and 4.2%).

o   In women, excessive alcohol consumption was found to be a risk factor for oral cancer.
o   In women, moderate alcohol consumption lowered the risk for oral cancer.
  •       Elevated blood glucose levels were similar between males with cancer and males in the control group.
  •       Elevated blood glucose levels were significantly higher for females with cancer compared with female controls (58.4% versus 42.2%).

o   Elevated blood glucose levels are a risk factor for oral cancer in women.
  •       Mean age at menopause was significantly lower for females with cancer compared to their cancer-free controls (45.4 years versus 51.3 years).


Conclusions

The results of this study showed that in women, consumption of alcohol is a very important risk factor for oral cancer.  At lower levels of alcohol consumption, the results showed that men retain a moderate risk of oral cancer, whereas women actually have a reduced risk of developing the disease.  At higher levels of alcohol consumption, both men and women showed increased risk for oral cancer.

Why is there this difference between the sexes?  The authors speculated that these differences may be explained by the menopausal and hormonal changes that occurred in the women of the cancer group.  They claim that moderate alcohol consumption may reduce this risk of cancer in postmenopausal women by increased insulin sensitivity, or through increased estrogen levels.  Since studies have shown that insulin resistance in a high cancer risk factor for women, particularly after menopause, then increased insulin sensitivity caused by moderate alcohol consumption may be a justified therapy for reducing the cancer risk.

One thing I would have liked to have seen from this study is a breakdown of the different types of alcohol consumed.  Will any type of alcohol consumed moderately reduce the risk of oral cancer in postmenopausal women?  Or do wine, beer, and/or spirits act differently in the body?  The authors indicated that this data was collected; however, they never appeared to do any analysis with it. For example, we’ve seen from previous studies presented on this blog that different types of alcoholic beverages act differently in the body in regards to Alzheimer’s risk: specifically, those drinking mixed alcoholic beverages showed more negative effects on mental status than those consuming wine alone or beer alone.  What about oral cancer and types of alcohol consumed?

I’d also be curious how these results change when compared with patients who are smokers. Does smoking change this supposed reduced risk of oral cancer found in postmenopausal women? Or does smoking “override” these benefits and there is increased risk no matter how much or how little alcohol is consumed?

I’d love to hear what you all think about this study, the results/methods/conclusions/what have you.  Please leave your comments below (no html tags, please).

Source: Takács, D., Koppány, F., Mihályi, S., and Suba, Z. 2011. Decreased oral cancer risk by moderate alcohol consumption in non-smoker postmenopausal women. Oral Oncology 47: 537-540.

DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2011.04.003



I am not a health professional, nor do I pretend to be. Please consult your doctor before altering your alcohol consumption habits. Do not consume alcohol if you are under the age of 21. Do not drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly!
Feb 21 NO comments
agriculture, Alzheimers, chemistry, contaminants, copper, demetia, drinking, enology, environment, heavy metals, mortality, pollution, wine chemistry, wine quality, winemaking

Are Copper Levels in Wine Safe for Human Consumption? Case Study: Croatia


It is well known that wine is composed of a complex matrix of chemical compounds, which vary widely depending upon the soil, pesticide or fungicide use, winemaking process, storage process, and other steps along the way.  Metals may also be found in wine, the levels of which again vary, depending on the aforementioned factors.  One study presented earlier in the year by The Academic Wino showed that arsenic levels in wine were highly dependent upon the arsenic levels in the groundwater, showing that higher groundwater levels of arsenic corresponded to higher levels of arsenic in the finished wine.  Copper is another metal of interest in these types of studies, as over exposure to this element can have detrimental effects on the environment and human health.

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In the environment, long-term and intensive use and exposure to copper can have severe consequences, including the toxicity to aquatic and soil organisms, by accumulating in the soil at a rate faster than can be flushed out by the environment.  In regards to human health, there is a whole host of negative effects from excessive copper exposure and/or ingestion.  Copper is absorbed mostly via the intestinal tract.  20% to 60% of dietary copper is absorbed by the body, with any excess excreted. 

Copper poisoning or toxicity occurs when there is an excess of copper coming into the body, or homeostatic control mechanisms are defective, and most often is a result of elevated copper levels in beverages (most often, the water supply).  Adverse effects of copper toxicity in humans include nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.  Also, long-term exposure to copper may cause severe damage to the kidneys and liver, with liver damaged reported as occurring under copper levels greater than 30mg/day.  Some studies have examined long-term copper exposure and brain function, and have speculated that this exposure may trigger or speed up many neurological ailments; including Alzheimer’s disease, familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, though so far, results have been inconclusive.

In the United States, the National Academy of Sciences limited the intake of copper to 10mg per day.  In the EU, the EU Scientific Committee on Food set this level to 5mg per day.  The Recommended Daily Allowance of copper for adult men and women has been set to 0.9mg per day.

As a result of the many adverse environmental and human health effects of copper exposure, it is important to monitor its levels in food and beverage items, including wine.  In high wine-consuming countries, such as Croatia, where metal concentrations in the soil are relatively higher than other grape-growing regions, this type of copper monitoring is very important.  The International Organization of Vine and Wine and the Croatian government has put limits on the maximum allowed levels of copper in wine, which equates to 1000μg/L.

The goal of today’s study was to determine the contribution of Croatian wine to the dietary intake of copper and to make implications for possible human health risks for moderate wine consumers.

In order to evaluate this, one group of scientists from Croatia used data based on national estimates of average wine consumption rates (derived from the general population).  They analyzed 10 commercial and 15 homemade wines from 13 winemakers from 6 Croatian growing regions for copper levels using graphite furnace atomic absorption.  Using the levels of copper found in the wine, coupled with the data for average wine consumption in Croatia, they then compared these copper intake levels with the maximum permissible levels of copper and the highest tolerable levels of copper. 

Results

  •       Median copper levels in commercial wines were 180μg/L (range: 76μg/L to 292μg/L).
  •       Median copper levels in homemade wines were 258μg/L (range: 115μg/L to 7600μg/L).

o   In 10 out of the homemade wines, copper levels were below the upper threshold permissible limit of 1000ug/L.
o   Three of the homemade wines contained copper levels that were higher than the upper threshold permissible limit, which may have been due to very intensive use of copper-laden fungicides, too short of time between application and harvest, or ignoring the limits set forth by the government.
  •       There were no statistically significant differences in copper levels between the commercial and the homemade wines and between red and white wines.


Summary

The results of this study showed that for the most part, copper levels in Croatian wines are low, and are well below the established upper threshold permissible limits.  Even though the majority of the wines were low in copper, a small number of the homemade wines showed copper levels much higher than the upper threshold permissible limits.  This result indicates the need to be sure that winemakers are aware of the possible sources of the metal getting into their wines, and to use appropriate corrective techniques to avoid elevated concentrations in the finished wines.

Using the average wine consumption data collected from the general population (0.2L per day for moderate wine consumption) and the copper levels found in the wines studied, the authors were able to calculate that individuals consuming the commercial wines on average ingested between 0.04mg/day and 0.06mg/day of copper.  Examining the homemade wine with the highest copper levels, the authors calculated that individuals consuming this wine on average ingested 1.52mg/day of copper.  According to these values, even the wine with the highest level of copper would not pose any problems for moderate wine consumers (drinking an average of 0.2L per day).

However, individuals who are heavy wine consumers (those who consume over 0.5L/day) would end up ingesting copper at levels higher than the tolerable intake levels, if they were consuming some of the wines in this study (particular the wines with the higher copper levels), which could potentially result in harmful health consequences.

Overall, however, the study showed that for the most part, Croatian wines (or at least most of the wines studied in their experiment) are completely safe to consume for low to moderate wine drinkers.  However, since there are individuals who drink more wine than the average consumer, it’s important for winemakers to monitor the copper levels in their wines, and to take the necessary steps possible to minimize these levels in their finished wines.

I’d love to hear what you all think!  Please feel free to leave your comments below!

Source: Tariba, B., Kljaković-Gašpić, Z., and Pizent, A. 2011. Estimation of copper intake in moderate wine consumers in Croatia. Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada Toksikologiju 62: 229-234.

DOI: 10.2478/10004-1254-62-2011-2109






I am not a health professional, nor do I pretend to be. Please consult your doctor before altering your alcohol consumption habits. Do not consume alcohol if you are under the age of 21. Do not drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly!