Like blood or urine, hair can be a good indicator of the level of alcohol consumption. If it is important, the diethyl sulfate builds up in the hair mass.
A new study, published in Drug Testing & Analysis, reveals that measuring diethyl sulfate (EtG) levels in hair is a reliable biomarker for detecting a person’s chronic alcohol consumption.
Retrospective calendar
Diethyl sulfate is a chemical compound, occurring as a colorless liquid with a peppermint odor, very toxic and possibly carcinogenic. As part of this work, researchers developed a new method to quantify the levels of diethyl sulfate present in hair samples from patients treated for alcohol use disorders.
Hair “constitutes a real retrospective calendar of alcohol consumption”, observes the National Academy of Pharmacy, which recommends the “systematic” practice of these analyzes during medical checks “before any return of the driving license to persons sanctioned for driving while intoxicated, in order to avoid murderous recurrences due to drivers who still have chronic abusive consumption “. This is not currently the case. On average, hair grows 1cm per month. On 3cm, the analysis of diethyl sulfate traces the history of alcohol consumption over the past 3 months.
Relapse
If the EtG level is high, the patient is likely to be an alcoholic or have a relapse. If it is low, the patient managed to refrain from drinking alcohol.
Classification of alcohol dependence according to the concentration of EtG in the hair (source: www.alcool-info-service.fr):
Diethyl sulfate levels had previously been identified as biomarkers of alcohol consumption in blood and urine.
Detection time
Compared to more traditional materials, hair is easier to collect, transport and store. But the main advantage of the hair test is the detection time, which is much longer than with other screening methods. In the blood and urine, alcohol can be detected very quickly after consumption, but over a relatively short period of time, which cannot exceed 2 to 4 days. In hair, on the other hand, the detection time will be 90 days. “The levels of diethyl sulfate in hair therefore need to be the subject of future research,” said lead author Delphine Cappelle.
Two drinks a day, according to the WHO
The second cause of preventable death after tobacco, alcohol consumption is responsible in France for 49,000 deaths each year. Remember that the World Health Organization (WHO) warns women who drink more than two drinks a day, six days a week, and men who succumb to more than three drinks every day.
Episodic alcohol consumption can also become problematic. “Young people are much more vulnerable because they start to drink strong alcohol earlier than before. The risk is that one evening per week is renewed more regularly and that the young person can no longer spend an evening without drinking alcohol. alcohol “, warns Isabelle Sokolow, alcohol doctor. She continues, in The Parisian : “even if they only get drunk once a week, without drinking a drop of alcohol the rest of the time, these episodic users are considered alcoholics. When you forget what happened the day before, when you parked your car or fell without knowing why, these are signs of alcoholism “.
Beyond alcohol problems, hair is a good indicator of our state of health. The early arrival of White hair results, for example, from significant stress or possible cardiovascular disease. British researchers recently identified 124 new genes which determine hair color. “This discovery could make it possible to advance research on certain diseases and cancers of the skin”, they congratulate themselves.
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