Ethanol-combined galactose tolerance tests in healthy pregnant women and the effect of a high-protein diet.

Abstract

SummaryGalactose tolerance tests after an oral load of galactose with and without a prior dose of ethanol were performed on 57 healthy pregnant and 18 healthy non‐pregnant women. In the pregnant women the capacity of the liver to remove galactose in the absence of ethanol was accelerated, and the inhibitory effect of ethanol on galactose disappearance was greatly reduced. Eight pregnant women in whom the inhibitory effect of ethanol on galactose disappearance was diminished were given a high‐protein preparation for four weeks and two other groups of eight pregnant women served as controls with no supplement to their diet. The inhibitory effect of ethanol on galactose disappearance increased slightly in the group treated with the high‐protein diet, but decreased in both control groups with no dietary supplement.It is concluded that in many healthy pregnant women ethanol only weakly inhibits removal of galactose from the blood, as in chronic alcoholics with a history of poor dietary regimen. The reason for this change in liver metabolism during pregnancy remains to be elucidated.