Can Alcohol Affect the Immune System?

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How to Have Your Booze and Drink It, Too

But many researchers now believe that design flaws in older studies falsely inflated the cardiovascular benefits of drinking. In some studies that correct for those flaws, booze’s apparent health benefits disappear. “Contrary to popular opinion, alcohol is not good for the heart,” the World Heart Foundation wrote in a 2022 policy brief.

The more you drink, the more you interfere with a neurotransmitter called glutamate, which regulates learning and memory, notes Nutt. But your brain doesn’t give up without a fight, so it increases the functioning of the glutamate system. Then, more often than not, you fall asleep or pass out and go into alcohol withdrawal.

Your Brain on Booze

In addition, most studies have been done in vitro using primary cells or cell lines in the presence of rather high, constant doses of ethanol. Similarly, most rodent studies to date have focused on acute/short-term binge models utilizing high concentration of ethanol (20% ethanol) as the sole source of fluid, a possible stressor in itself. A second study by Joosten et al. also analyzed gene expression profiles in PBMCs isolated from 24 healthy male subjects who consumed 50mL of vodka with 200mL orange juice or only orange twice daily for 4 weeks during dinner (considered to be moderate). Pathways involving antigen presentation, B and T cell receptor signaling, and IL-15 signaling were altered with moderate vodka consumption (Joosten, van Erk et al. 2012). The most significant change was in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling, which is known to down-regulate immune activity and inflammation by down-regulating NFκB (Pelaia, Vatrella et al. 2003).

It is also critical to take into consideration that the effects of ethanol on immune function in vivo could involve the actions of its primary metabolite, acetaldehyde. Therefore, more studies looking at the effects of ethanol metabolites in vivo are needed. Acetaldehyde has also been shown to affect NFκB-induced cytokine production in various liver cells.

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On Jan. 3, outgoing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory warning that alcohol consumption raises the risk of at least seven types of cancer. Shortly afterward, a second federal report warned that people who consume more than nine drinks per week have a one in 100 chance of dying from their habit, due to alcohol’s links to a range of health problems. Moderate drinking is defined as up to one drink per day for people assigned female at birthday and up to two drinks per day for people assigned male at birth, per the NIAAA. Stopping alcohol use can significantly improve your health, boost your immune system and protect your body from serious infections and viruses.

A secondary lung abscess can develop from a lung obstruction or infection that begins in another body part. A lung abscess can lead to cough, chest pain, fever, fatigue, night sweats, appetite loss, weight loss, sputum, and, empyema. “With COVID-19, alcohol is likely to interfere with an individual’s ability to clear SARS-CoV-2 and cause people to suffer worse outcomes, including ARDS, which commonly results in death,” Edelman said.

“The only remedy for an immune system damaged from drinking alcohol is to stop drinking. If you are not able to drink in moderation, you should avoid alcohol,” Dasgupta says. The frequency at which a person drinks also determines how much it affects the immune system. A person who drinks every day is more likely to have a weakened immune system and experience health complications than someone who rarely drinks or only drinks on occasion.

Factors That Affect How Alcohol Affects Your Immune System

• Making things even more confusing is that the public has gotten some mixed messages about alcohol over the past few decades.
• Alcohol can either activate or suppress the immune system depending on, for example, how much is consumed and how concentrated it is in the various tissues and organs.
• “Those at increased risk should cut down or abstain from alcohol because every little thing an individual can do to improve the health and reduce risk is worth it at this point, even if the evidence is not entirely clear,” Mroszczyk-McDonald said.
• For example, a 2015 study in the journal Alcohol found that binge drinking can reduce infection-fighting white blood cells known as monocytes in the hours after peak intoxication, essentially weakening your immune system.
• Read more to find out why heavy drinking and immune health just aren’t compatible.

This can introduce bacteria into the respiratory system, leading to infections like pneumonia. In addition to weakening the immune system, alcohol-induced inflammation can sober house also contribute to the development of chronic conditions such as liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer. These conditions further compromise the body’s ability to fight off infections.

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They can assess the severity of the problem, offer personalized treatment plans, and connect individuals with appropriate resources. When combined with alcohol abuse, the effects on the liver and immune system can be particularly devastating. One of the main ways alcohol contributes to the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is through its impact https://northiowatoday.com/2025/01/27/sober-house-rules-what-you-should-know-before-moving-in/ on sexual decision-making. Under the influence of alcohol, individuals may be more likely to engage in unprotected sex or have multiple sexual partners without taking proper precautions. If you suspect you have gastritis or are experiencing symptoms related to alcohol abuse, it is crucial to seek medical attention.

Similarly, alcohol can trigger inflammation in the gut and destroy the microorganisms that live in the intestine and maintain immune system health. That doesn’t mean that binge drinking or getting blackout drunk are OK, of course. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be a doctor who says you can’t have any alcohol,” Kahn says. While you don’t necessarily have to stop drinking, cutting down on drinking is “one of my first recommendations” for women in their late 30s to early 40s who are experiencing perimenopause symptoms, Kumar says.

It causes pus to accumulate in the respiratory system’s pleural cavity, the space between the chest cavity’s inner wall surface and the lungs. Since pneumonia is an infection inside the lung, a person can gradually cough it out. Empyema occurs outside of the lungs, so doctors must remove it via surgery or by draining it with a needle. Alcohol use can cause respiratory complications such as pneumonia, empyema, respiratory syncytial virus, tuberculosis, lung abscess, and adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). When alcohol damages the gastrointestinal tract’s barrier, bacteria and toxins can enter the bloodstream easily, potentially leading to septicemia and sepsis.

The adaptive immune response can be distinguished from innate immunity by the capability of generating immunological memory, or protective immunity against recurring disease caused by the same pathogen (Janeway 2008). Alcohol abuse not only weakens the body’s ability to fight off infections in general but also increases the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. In summary, alcohol damages the gastrointestinal system by causing inflammation, increasing stomach acid production, impairing nutrient absorption, and disrupting the balance of gut microbiota. These effects weaken the body’s ability to fight off infections, making individuals who abuse alcohol more susceptible to gastrointestinal infections. Gastritis is the inflammation of the stomach lining, which can be caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol irritates and damages the protective lining of the stomach, making it more susceptible to bacterial infections.