Analysis of biomarkers of low to moderate alcohol intake in the Postmenopausal Women’s Alcohol Study

Epidemiological studies of the health impact of alcohol consumption have largely relied on self-reported measures of intake. Objective markers may offer more accurate measures of alcohol intake and its biological effects, potentially elucidating disease mechanisms. However, there are currently no validated biomarkers to assess low-to-moderate drinking.
To apply semi-targeted metabolomics to identify biomarkers of low-to-moderate alcohol consumption, plasma samples were collected in the Postmenopausal Women’s Alcohol Study (WAS), a randomised controlled crossover feeding study.
In the study, 51 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to consume 0, 15, or 30 g of alcohol per day (equivalent to 0, 1, or 2 drinks per day) for 8 weeks each as part of a controlled diet, with washout periods between treatments. Metabolites were measured in fasting plasma samples collected at baseline, during washout, and after treatment.
Researchers measured 1,422 substances in the blood and found that 150 had previously been linked to alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption significantly altered the levels of 46 of these substances, including several that are directly produced when the body metabolises alcohol, as well as other compounds involved in metabolism and cell function. The greatest changes were observed in certain blood markers, which increased with higher alcohol consumption. One marker, ethyl α-glucopyranoside, showed a particularly strong relationship with alcohol intake, with levels rising dramatically as the amount of alcohol consumed increased.
The study confirmed earlier findings for 14 known alcohol-related blood markers and identified several new substances that could be used as biomarkers for low-to-moderate alcohol consumption. These biomarkers may also help researchers investigate how alcohol affects health and disease in large population studies that include detailed metabolic data.
Source: Yano, Y., Albert, P.S., Roy, S., Farhat, Z., Baer, D.J., Moore, S.C. et al. (2026) Semi-targeted metabolomics analysis of biomarkers of low to moderate alcohol intake in the Postmenopausal Women’s Alcohol Study: A randomized controlled crossover feeding study. The Journal of Nutrition, 156(5), 101488.