Alcohol ingestion inhibits the increased secretion of puberty-related hormones in the developing female rhesus monkey

Alcohol (ALC) use and abuse by adolescents has been rising at an alarming r ate. Whether ALC consumption during prepubertal years affects specific horm ones and the process of sexual maturation is not known. We used immature fe male rhesus macaques to assess the effects of ALC on circulating levels of hormones known to be critical for the pubertal process. Ten monkeys averagi ng 20.3 +/- 0.3 months of age were bled by saphenous vein puncture at 0830 and 2030 h each day for 5 consecutive days to determine baseline levels of GH, insulinlike growth factor I, FSH, LH, estradiol (E-2), and leptin. For the next 12 months, each day at 1330 h five monkeys were administered ALC ( 2 g/kg), and five monkeys were administered an isocaloric sucrose solution via a nasogastric approach. Blood was again collected twice daily on 5 cons ecutive days at 24, 28, and 32 months for hormone analysis. Food consumptio n and weight gain were similar for ALC-treated and control animals. The exp ected night-related increase in serum GH occurred during late juvenile deve lopment (28-32 months of age) in control animals, but was suppressed (P < 0 .05) in ALC-treated animals. This action was paralleled by a decrease (P < 0.01) in serum insulin-like growth factor I. Serum LH and E-2 were also dep ressed by ALC,with their effects most pronounced at 32 months (LH, P < 0.01 ; E-2, P < 0.001). Serum FSH and leptin were not altered. Although ALC did not affect age at menarche, the interval between subsequent menstruations w as lengthened (P < 0.05), thereby showing that ALC affected the development of a regular monthly pattern of menstruation. These results demonstrate th e detrimental effects of ALC on the activation of hormone secretion that ac companies puberty in female rhesus monkeys. They also suggest that the subs equent growth spurt and normal timing or progression of puberty may be at r isk in human adolescents and teenagers consuming even relatively moderate a mounts of ALC on a regular basis.