C. Coudray et al., Long-term consumption of red wine does not modify intestinal absorption orstatus of zinc and copper in rats, J NUTR, 130(5), 2000, pp. 1309-1313
Red wines contain many components such as polyphenols and ethanol that may
influence mineral absorption. We report on studies in a rat model that were
designed to investigate the extent to which short- and long-term intake of
red wine or ethanol may influence Zn-67 and Cu-65 absorption in rats. Rats
(n = 96) were divided into three groups, a control group that received dem
ineralized water, a group that received red wine diluted with water (v/v) a
nd an ethanol group that received 6% ethanol, Half of each group was used f
or the short-term study; the others were used for the long-term study. Afte
r 3 d (short-term study) or 28 d (long-term study) of beverage consumption,
the rats were gavaged with 2 mt of solution containing 2027 nmol Zn-67 and
902 nmol Cu-65. Subsequently, 3-d urinary and fecal collections were perfo
rmed and analyzed for total and isotopic Zn and Cu. In the long-term study,
blood, tibia and liver were also sampled for mineral status assessment. Ne
ither short- nor long-term intake of red wine altered Zn-67 or Cu-65 absorp
tion. In contrast, long-term (but not short-term) ethanol consumption signi
ficantly increased both Zn-67 and Cu-65 absorption compared with the contro
l and red wine groups. The long-term consumption of ethanol or red wine did
not affect blood or tissue Zn or Cu levels. In conclusion, short- or long-
term consumption of red wine did not have a negative effect on intestinal a
bsorption or tissue levels of zinc and Cu in rats.