Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin as a marker of alcohol intake: a study with healthy subjects

Alcohol Alcohol. 1996 May;31(3):265-71. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.alcalc.a008146.

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a 3-week drinking experiment in 51 healthy male subjects, examining the value of %CDT (carbohydrate-deficient transferrin) in the context of different levels of alcohol intake. All healthy persons were urine-tested drug-free and underwent daily breath alcohol tests for the 7 days preceding, and during the whole 3 weeks of, the experiment. Subjects were divided into five groups, consuming different amounts of alcohol daily over a 3-h period in the presence of the investigators. The five groups consisted of 10, 9, 10, 16 and 6 subjects respectively and consumed a daily dose of ethanol of 20, 40, 60, 80 and 80 g respectively for 3 weeks. No significant changes in %CDT were detected in most subjects, even in the 80 g alcohol-consuming groups. The results suggest that CDT is not sensitive for the detection of short-term heavy drinking by healthy subjects.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alcohol Drinking / blood*
  • Alcoholism / diagnosis*
  • Alcoholism / enzymology
  • Biomarkers / analysis
  • Breath Tests
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Humans
  • Liver Function Tests
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Reference Values
  • Transferrin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Transferrin / analysis
  • gamma-Glutamyltransferase / blood

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Transferrin
  • carbohydrate-deficient transferrin
  • gamma-Glutamyltransferase