Endocrine system

Abstract

The effects of acute and chronic alcohol exposure on the major endocrine systems of human adults are complex. Acute exposure affects the hypothalamic-pituitary axis resulting in, for example, decreased vasopressin and thyroid stimulating hormone secretion. The effects of chronic alcohol consumption seem to depend on the amounts of alcohol consumed. Moderate alcohol consumption may have beneficial effects, such as reducing the risk of type II diabetes mellitus and increasing estrogen levels in pre- and post-menopausal women, which could be associated with a lower risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. However, chronic alcohol abuse profoundly and negatively affects: glucose metabolism (hypo- and hyperglycemia); decrease in vasopressin producing neurons; hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroidal axis (blunted thyroid stimulating hormone response, changes in thyroid hormone concentration, and decreased thyroid volume); hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis (blunted adrenocorticotropic hormone responses, increased Cortisol production, and pseudo-Cushing’s syndrome); and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis of men and women (sex hormone changes, feminization of men, and sexual dysfunction). Further, alcohol abuse changes the metabolism of endocrine organs through alcohol effects on binding proteins (e.g., raised thyroxine-binding globulin and sex hormone-binding globulin) and alcohol-induced organ damage (β-cell destruction in chronic pancreatitis and metabolic consequences of alcoholic liver disease). The remedy for these changes is significant reduction of alcohol consumption.