Abstract
Background: Heavy acute alcohol drinking decreases blood testosterone in men due to an effect on the testicular level. An acute increase in blood testosterone levels after a low alcohol dose has, however, recently been reported in women. The objective of this investigation was to study the effect of a low alcohol dose on testosterone in men and further elucidate the mechanism behind the effect by using 4‐methylpyrazole, an inhibitor of alcohol metabolism.Methods: A double‐blind placebo‐controlled interventional crossover trial in random order (n= 13).Results: After intake of alcohol (0.5 g/kg, 10% w/v), an acute increase in plasma testosterone (from 13.5 ± 1.2 nmol/liter to 16.0 ± 1.6 nmol/liter, mean ± SEM;p < 0.05), a decrease in androstenedione (from 5.1 ± 0.4 nmol/liter to 4.0 ± 0.3 nmol/liter;p < 0.05), and an increase in the testosterone:androstenedione ratio (from 2.8 ± 0.3 to 4.2 ± 0.4;p < 0.01) were observed. The effects were not observed during pretreatment with 4‐methylpyrazole (10–15 mg/kg orally), which inhibited the ethanol elimination rate by 37 ± 3%.Conclusions: Alcohol intake affects the androgen balance in men through an effect mediated by the alcohol‐induced change in the redox state in the liver.
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