Occurrence of blood acetaldehyde in women during ethanol intoxication: preliminary findings

The question of gender differences regarding blood acetaldehyde levels during ethanol intoxication has not been clarified because of the difficulties in the determination of acetaldehyde levels. Although the blood acetaldehyde levels in men during normal ethanol oxidation are reported to be undetectable, no valid data on female blood acetaldehyde levels have yet been reported. Thus, in the present investigation, 13 young healthy nonalcoholic women, almost all of which took oral contraceptives regularly, were challenged with different doses of ethanol (0.34, 0.68, and 1.02 g/kg) during three different sessions. Venous blood acetaldehyde and ethanol levels were then determined by headspace gas chromatography involving appropriate correction for artefactual acetaldehyde formation during blood treatment and analytical procedures. Corrected blood acetaldehyde levels (mean 2 microM, range 0-6 microM) were observed, predominantly at lower ethanol concentrations. Elevated acetaldehyde levels in women may explain why ethanol is less frequently abused and causes tissue damage more rapidly in women than men.