Vive la Difference! The Effects of Natural and Conventional Wines on Blood Alcohol Concentrations: A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Controlled Study

Different alcoholic beverages can have different effects on blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and neurotoxicity, even when equalized for alcohol content by volume. Anecdotal evidence suggested that natural wine is metabolized differently from conventional wines. This triple-blind study compared the BAC of 55 healthy male subjects after consuming the equivalent of 2 units of alcohol of a natural or conventional wine over 3 min in two separate sessions, one week apart. BAC was measured using a professional breathalyzer every 20 min after consumption for 2 h. The BAC curves in response to the two wines diverged significantly at twenty minutes (interval T20) and forty minutes (interval T40), and also at their maximum concentrations (peaks), with the natural wine inducing a lower BAC than the conventional wine [T20 = 0.40 versus 0.46 (p < 0.0002); T40 = 0.49 versus 0.53 (p < 0.0015); peak = 0.52 versus 0.56 (p < 0.0002)]. These differences are likely related to the development of different amino acids and antioxidants in the two wines during their production. This may in turn affect the kinetics of alcohol absorption and metabolism. Other contributing factors could include pesticide residues, differences in dry extract content, and the use of indigenous or selected yeasts. The study shows that with the same quantity and conditions of intake, natural wine has lower pharmacokinetic and metabolic effects than conventional wine, which can be assumed due to the different agronomic and oenological practices with which they are produced. It can therefore be hypothesized that the consumption of natural wine may have a different impact on human health from that of conventional wine.

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Vive la Difference! Effects of Natural and Conventional Wines on the Blood Alcohol Concentrations: A Randomized, Triple-Blind Controlled Study

10.20944/preprints201902.0258.v2 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Federico Francesco Ferrero ◽

Maurizio Fadda ◽

Luca De Carli ◽

Marco Barbetta ◽

Rajandrea Sethi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Healthy Male ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Alcohol Content ◽

Dry Extract ◽

Extract Content ◽

Kinetics Of ◽

Male Subjects

Different alcoholic beverages can have different effects on blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) and neurotoxicity even if equalized for alcohol content by volume. Anecdotal evidence suggested that natural wine is metabolized differently from conventional wines. This triple-blind study compared the BAC of 55 healthy male subjects after consuming the equivalent of 2 units of alcohol of a natural or conventional wine over 3 mins in two separate sessions one week apart. BAC was measured using a professional breathalyzer every 20 mins after consumption for 2 hrs. The BAC curves in response to the two wines diverged significantly at twenty minutes, at forty minutes and also at their maximum concentrations (peaks), with the natural wine inducing a lower BAC than the conventional wine (T20 0.40 vs. 0.46 [p<0.0002], T40 0.49 vs. 0.53 [p<0.0015], peak 0.52 vs. 0.56 [p<0.0002]). These differences are likely related to the development of different amino acids and antioxidants in the two wines during their production. This in turn may affect the kinetics of alcohol absorption and metabolism. Other contributing factors may also include pesticide residues, differences in dry extract content and the use of indigenous or selected yeasts. Further studies are needed to fully understand why natural wines are metabolized differently from conventional wines.

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Vive la Difference! Effects of Natural and Conventional Wines on the Blood Alcohol Concentrations: A Randomized, Triple-Blind Controlled Study

10.20944/preprints201902.0258.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Federico Francesco Ferrero ◽

Maurizio Fadda ◽

Luca De Carli ◽

Marco Barbetta ◽

Rajandrea Sethi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Production Chain ◽

Entire Study ◽

The One ◽

Kinetics Of

Background When equalized for alcohol content by volume, however, not all alcoholic beverages have the same effect on blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or neurotoxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate differences between metabolism of a natural wine and of a conventional wine. Methods Fifty-five healthy male volunteers were randomly administered the equivalent of 2 units of alcohol (24 g of ethanol) of a natural or of a conventional wine, and one week later received the same dose of the other wine. At each of the two sessions, a breathalyzer was used to estimate BAC levels before the intake of the wine and then every twenty-minute for 2 hours. The entire study was conducted in triple-blind conditions. Results The blood alcohol curves after consumption of the two different wines diverged significantly at the twenty-minute mark (T20) and then again at their peak values. In both cases, the BAC induced by the natural wine was lower than the one corresponding to the conventional wine (T20 0.44 vs. 0.49 [p<0.012], peak 0.56 vs. 0.60 [p<0.032]). Conclusions The results of the study suggest that natural and conventional wines have a different effect on BAC. The alcohol in the natural wine seems to be absorbed more slowly. Different techniques applied in the production chain likely lead to the development of different amino acids and different types and amounts of antioxidants in the two wines. These compounds, in turn, may affect the kinetics of alcohol absorption and metabolism. The presence or absence of residues of pesticides and other agrochemicals, differences in sugar and fiber content, and the use of either indigenous or selected yeasts, are additional factors that may contribute to the differences observed. If this hypothesis is confirmed, it could have important public health and policy implications.

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The Tracometer as an Intoxication Warning Device

Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193128703100713 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 31 (7) ◽

pp. 751-755 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Y. Ian Noy

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Intoxication ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Drunk Driving ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Tracking Task ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Subsequent Test ◽

Pursuit Tracking ◽

Wide Range ◽

Male Subjects

An experiment was conducted to investigate the feasibility of developing an in-vehicle skill-based drunk driver detection and deterrence system. The experiment compared two well-developed psychomotor test devices, the Tracometer and the Critical Tracking Task (CTT), for their ability to detect alcohol intoxication. The Tracometer employed a pursuit tracking task whereas the CTT employed a compensatory tracking task. Twenty male subjects, aged 19 − 30 were trained on the Tracometer and the CTT over a three day period. On two subsequent test days, they were treated with either placebo or alcoholic beverages designed to bring their peak Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) to 1.2% (1200 mg/L). On each day, the subjects were tested once before treatment and six times after treatment at hourly intervals as their BAC levels declined. The results indicate that the Tracometer was more sensitive than the CTT to the the effects of alcohol over a wide range of BAC levels. At a BAC level of .08%, performance on the Tracometer deteriorated by 16% whereas performance on the CTT deteriorated by only 7%. Using optimized pass/fail protocols, the Tracometer failed 60% of subjects with BAC in the range .08–1.0%, whereas the CTT failed 34%. At BAC levels above 1.0%, the Tracometer failed about 85% whereas the CTT failed 40%. These results clearly illustrate the potential of the Tracometer as a test of alcohol intoxication. Although the impetus behind the study was the development of drunk-driving countermeasures, the technology can be easily extended to include other applications.

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Influences of Alcohol upon Performance and Performance Awareness

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1977.45.1.303 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 303-310 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Robert A. Lubin

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Performance Feedback ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Response Speed ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Visual Signals ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Impaired Performance ◽

And Performance ◽

Male Subjects

The effects of alcohol and performance feedback on reaction time, judgments of response speed, and awareness of performance were examined with 15 male subjects. It was suggested that the dose of alcohol which impaired performance would also reduce the awareness of the impairment. In response to extrafoveal visual signals, a series of RTs and response-speed judgments were recorded over three experimental sessions which differed in target blood alcohol concentration, i.e., placebo, .05, .10. The spurious performance feedback presented to five subjects in each of three groups represented either fast, average, or slow RTs. Data support the hypothesis that alcohol impairs both performance and performance awareness. In all groups alcohol significantly increased RTs and significantly impaired the accuracy of response speed judgments. The measures of awareness, i.e., correlations between RTs and response speed judgments, showed that alcohol and spurious feedback significantly impaired performance awareness.

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The Beverage Alcohol Concentration at Intake and Estimated Blood Alcohol Concentrations

Nordisk Alkoholtisdkrift (Nordic Alcohol Studies) ◽

10.1177/145507259601301s10 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 13 (1_suppl) ◽

pp. 43-50

Author(s):

Jussi Simpura ◽

Pirjo Paakkanen ◽

Heli Mustonen ◽

Leena Metso ◽

Kalervo Kiianmaa

Keyword(s):

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Policy ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Supporting Evidence ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Policy Debate ◽

Alcohol Content ◽

Drinking Habits ◽

Actual Strength

Belief in differential health risks for different alcoholic beverages continues despite a relative lack of supporting evidence, and continues to influence alcohol policy debate both in Finland and elsewhere. The present data from a survey of Finnish drinking habits conducted in 1992 suggest that the central issue is not the actual strength of the beverage itself but rather the solution at intake and the amount of alcohol imbibed. The results are based on a one week survey of all occasions on which alcohol was consumed from a general population survey of drinking habits. Spirits are diluted almost two times out of three when spirits are taken. The data indicate that the median alcohol content of spirits at intake was about 13 percent of volume: i.e. on half of the occasions when spirits were imbibed, the actual alcohol content was not higher than that of unfortified wines. Beer and wine were rarely diluted, white spirits and rum were almost always diluted, whereas cognac and liqueurs were taken unmixed. The data also provide a basis for estimating the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reached on each drinking occasion. There was hardly any correlation between the BAC and the actual alcohol concentration of the beverages imbibed. More detailed analyses showed mixed results. Drinking to intoxication (estimated BAC < 20 mM) was more likely with those spirits that are typically diluted than those drunk straight, but a higher percentage of the spirit intake in general occurred on such intoxicating occasions than was reported for other beverages. Older respondents reported that the primary beverage used when drinking to intoxication was spirits, but younger ones said beer. The results are only for Finland, but show little basis here for the traditional tripartite (beer, wine, spirits) division of beverages in prevention of alcohol-related harm.

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Effects of Alcohol and Error Criticality on Alphanumeric Target Acquisition

Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193128302700609 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 468-471 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

William E. Barbre ◽

Dennis L. Price

Keyword(s):

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Search Time ◽

Monetary Incentive ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Target Presence ◽

Search Trial ◽

Four Levels ◽

Target Locations ◽

Male Subjects

Eight male subjects searched for target alphanumeric characters using a touch-entry equipped CRT under four levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), 0.0, 0.05, 0.07, and 0.09 percent. Participants visually searched randomly generated 108-character arrays for imbedded target characters, touching the CRT surface at target locations when located. Half of the search trials used arrays containing no target, providing the apportunity for “giving-up” any search trial at the discretion of the participant. A monetary incentive/penalty system was used to define low- and high-criticality search trials. Search time, touch accuracy, the number of trials completed, the percent of “give-ups”, and hand travel time were all significantly degraded by the alcohol dosages used. An alcohol-criticality interaction was observed for percent give-ups, and an alcohol-target presence interaction was significant for mean search times.

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The Importance of Alcohol Testing by Gas Chromatography vs the Cordebard Classical Method Modified in the Medico Legal Investigation

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.18.9.6543 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (9) ◽

pp. 2407-2410

Author(s):

Dan Perju Dumbrava ◽

Carmen Corina Radu ◽

Sofia David ◽

Tatiana Iov ◽

Catalin Jan Iov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gas Chromatography ◽

Chromatographic Method ◽

Classical Method ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Technical Details ◽

Gas Chromatographic Method ◽

Alcohol Testing ◽

Living Person

Considering the growing number of requests from the criminal investigations authorities addressed to the institutions of legal medicine, testing of blood alcohol concentration both in the living person and in the corpse, we believe that a presentation of the two methods which are used in our country, is a topic of interest at present. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with the technical details on how blodd alcohol concentration is realised by means of the gas chromatographic method and the classical one, (Cordebard modified by D. Banciu and I. Droc) respectively. Another purpose of this article is to also show, in a comparative way, the elements that make the gas chromatographic method superior to the former one.

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A Driving Simulator Study of the Performance Effects of Low Blood Alcohol Concentration

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193129604001817 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 40 (18) ◽

pp. 943-946 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

R. Wade Allen ◽

Zareh Parseghian ◽

Anthony C. Stein

Keyword(s):

Divided Attention ◽

Driving Simulator ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Large Body ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Performance Effects ◽

Driving Task ◽

Simulator Study ◽

And Performance

There is a large body of research that documents the impairing effect of alcohol on driving behavior and performance. Some of the most significant alcohol influence seems to occur in divided attention situations when the driver must simultaneously attend to several aspects of the driving task. This paper describes a driving simulator study of the effect of a low alcohol dose, .055 BAC (blood alcohol concentration %/wt), on divided attention performance. The simulation was mechanized on a PC and presented visual and auditory feedback in a truck cab surround. Subjects were required to control speed and steering on a rural two lane road while attending to a peripheral secondary task. The subject population was composed of 33 heavy equipment operators who were tested during both placebo and drinking sessions. Multivariate Analysis of Variance showed a significant and practical alcohol effect on a range of variables in the divided attention driving task.

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4. Are a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 256mg/dl and Minimal Signs of Impairment Reliable Indications of Alcohol Dependence?

Medicine Science and the Law ◽

10.1177/002580249403400316 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 265-270 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A W Jones

Keyword(s):

Expert Witness ◽

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Drunk Driving ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Driving Under The Influence ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Lower Court ◽

Dna Profile ◽

Court Of Appeals ◽

Driving Scenario

This article describes a drink-driving scenario where a woman was apprehended for driving under the influence (DUI) with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 256mg/dl1 The correctness of this result was vigorously challenged by a medical expert witness for the defence, who was actually a specialist in alcohol diseases. Despite reanalysis to confirm the BAC as well as a DNA profile to prove the identity of the blood specimen, the woman was acquitted of the charge of drunk driving by the lower court. However, she was subsequently found guilty in the High Court of Appeals with a unanimous decision and sentenced to four weeks imprisonment. This case report illustrates some of the problems surrounding the use of expert medical evidence by the defence to challenge the validity of the prosecution evidence based solely on a suspect's BAC. In situations such as these, an expert witness should be called by the prosecution to clarify and, if necessary, rebut medical and/or scientific opinions that might mislead the court and influence the outcome of the trial.

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