Title:Effects of Beer and Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa) Consumption on Antioxidant Status in Healthy Volunteers: A Small-Scale Crossover Trial
VOLUME: 10 ISSUE: 3
Author(s):Elena Azzini, Federica Intorre, Eugenia Venneria, Maria Stella Foddai, Elisabetta Toti, Giovina Catasta, Mirella Nardini, Lara Palomba, Laura Rossi, Ombretta Marconi, Giuseppe Perretti, Paolo Fantozzi and Giuseppe Maiani
Affiliation:Via Ardeatina, 546, 00178 Roma, Italy.
Keywords:Alcoholic beer, non-alcoholic beer, humans, antioxidant status, phenolic acids, whole meal.
Abstract:Beer and wine are the most consumed ethanol-containing beverages worldwide and their impact on human
health has been largely studied. A small-scale double-blind crossover trial was performed in order to evaluate the effects
of simultaneous consumption of alcoholic/non-alcoholic beer and lettuce on plasma antioxidant status.
15 volunteers were divided into 4 groups and venous blood samples were collected at various delays from the ingestion of
meal. The latter consisted of 500 ml beverage (alcoholic beer, non-alcoholic beer, non-alcoholic beer with added alcohol
and water) and 100 g of fresh salad with 10 g of olive oil.
Results showed that total antioxidant status was significantly different between the alcoholic and non- alcoholic intake.
Most of the antioxidant molecules such as carotenoids, vitamin A, E, and C were not altered by meal consumption. Beer
phenolic compounds are not the same in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer in terms of content, thus corresponding to different
ingested doses and bioavailability. Lettuce phenolic compounds are bioavailable, even if the association between
beer and lettuce did not imply a higher effect on antioxidant status.
In conclusion, our results showed a plausible influence of the different production process on bioactive compounds content
in beer and the influence of food matrix on their bioavailability.
