Alcoholics often have an increased amount of iron in the liver which may contribute to the development of alcoholic liver disease, although the mechanism is unknown. It has been shown that chronic ethanol intake decreases the enterocyte turnover and enhances galactose absorption. Whether it affects iron absorption is still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic ethanol ingestion on whole body iron absorption in rats. Twenty-eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were pair-fed a liquid diet containing either ethanol as 36% of total calories or an isocaloric diet where fat was substituted for ethanol. On the 28th day, four-hour fasted rats were given an oral dose of 59Fe (0.5 microCi) and were immediately counted by a whole body counter. 59Fe levels were then monitored over the following nine days. Although ethanol- and control-fed rats had a similar hepatic iron content (59.5 +/- 5.8 vs 60.2 +/- 7.4 micrograms/100 mg dry liver weight) (mean +/- S.E.M.), the 59Fe total body content was greater in the ethanol group (75% +/- 3%) compared with the control group (45% +/- 4%). These results show that chronic ethanol ingestion increased iron absorption in rats. A reduction of enterocyte turnover may play a role in determining this effect.