Effect of alcohol intake on the levels of plasma homocysteine in healthy males

Hyperhomocysteinemia in chronic alcoholics has been reported, but it remain s unclear whether relatively low alcohol intake compared with the previous reports affects the plasma homocysteine level. To investigate this issue, w e performed two studies, a population-based study and an alcohol withdrawal study. An analysis of plasma homocysteine levels in a population of 236 he althy males showed no significant association between alcohol consumption a nd other tested parameters. In the withdrawal study, the subjects with a hi story of daily alcohol consumption (81.8+/-33.0 g/d, mean+/-SD, 40-150 g/d, range) abstained from alcohol for 4 wk. After withdrawal, the levels of se rum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, aspartate aminotransferase, triglyceride s, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol significantly decreased, but th e plasma homocysteine level did not change. These results suggest that alco hol intake, at least as far as the amount of beverages our study subjects c onsumed, has no effect on the plasma homocysteine level in healthy males.