Influence of Alcohol Consumption on Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Status in Cancer Patients - Case-control Study from Western Nepal

Aim: The present study assess the effect of consumption of alcohol on oxidative stress and antioxidant statusin patients suffering from different types of cancer.
Methods: This hospital based case control study conductedin the Western part of Nepal covered a total of 93 cancer patients with or without alcohol intake and smokinghabits, along with 94 age, sex and habit-matched individuals serving as controls. Plasma thiobarbituric acidreacting substances (TBARS), total antioxidant activity (TAA), vitamin C, α-tocopherol and erythrocyte reducedglutathione (GSH) were estimated and compared.
Results: The TBARS level was found to be significantly higher(p≤0.001) in all types of cancer patients when compared to controls, being aggravated in alcoholics with a smokinghabit. No statistical significance (p≥0.05) was observed in the level of vitamin C and α-tocopherol. GSH andTAA level were significantly decreased (p≤0.001) in all the groups except those who consumed both branded aswell as homemade alcohol and non-alcoholics without smoking habit.
Conclusion: Alcohol, irrespective of itscommercial brand, increases oxidative stress in all types of cancer patients. This is even higher when alcoholintake is combined with a smoking habit. Decreased TAA and GSH are major risk factors for cancer development.