The phytoestrogens present in de-ethanolized bourbon are biologically active: a preliminary study in a postmenopausal...

Bourbon and some other alcoholic beverages have been shown to contain phytoestrogens which, as a result of an excessive intake and alcohol associated liver disease, have been suggested as contributing to the feminization of chronic alcoholic men. To evaluate this hypothesis directly, de-ethanolized bourbon was prepared and orally administered to a single postmenopausal woman. Serum or plasma levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, sex steroid binding globulin, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and estradiol were monitored before, during, and after administration of the de-ethanolized bourbon at a dose equivalent to 4 ounces of bourbon for 20 days. The changes observed for each parameter during the injection of the bourbon extract are consistent with the presence of a biologically active estrogenic substance being present in the bourbon extract. These observations provide the first direct evidence in man for the presence of a biologically active estrogenic substance(s) in bourbon.