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Ethanol pharmacokinetics in lactating women
V A da-Silva1, L R Malheiros, A R Moraes-Santos
1Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, RJ, Brasil.
Summary
Lactating women exhibit significantly lower blood ethanol levels compared to non-lactating women, indicating lactation impacts alcohol pharmacokinetics. Ethanol concentrations in breast milk mirrored those in blood.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Human Physiology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Animal studies show lactating rats have 5x lower blood ethanol levels than non-lactating rats.
- This suggests lactation may alter ethanol metabolism or distribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if lactating humans also exhibit lower blood ethanol levels compared to non-lactating humans.
- To compare the pharmacokinetics of ethanol in lactating and non-lactating women.
Main Methods:
- Five lactating and five non-lactating women ingested 0.4 g/kg ethanol.
- Blood and milk samples were collected over 180 minutes post-ingestion.
- Ethanol levels were measured using gas chromatography (head space technique).
Main Results:
- Lactating women had a longer time to reach maximal blood ethanol levels (48.0 vs 31.2 min).
- The area under the blood ethanol curve was significantly smaller in lactating women (3821.5 vs 5154.8 mg% x min).
- Blood ethanol levels at 150 and 180 minutes were significantly lower in lactating women (10.5/3.9 vs 18.7/13.2 mg/dl).
- Ethanol concentration in milk was similar to blood concentration.
Conclusions:
- Lactation significantly alters ethanol pharmacokinetics in humans, leading to lower peak and overall blood levels.
- Ethanol readily transfers into breast milk at concentrations similar to maternal blood.
- Findings highlight the need to consider lactation's influence on drug pharmacokinetics in breastfeeding women.