The Immune System through the Lens of Alcohol Intake and Gut Microbiota PMC
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. WHO’s Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders provides does alcohol weaken your immune system a comprehensive update based on 2019 data on the public health impact of alcohol and drug use and situation with alcohol consumption and treatment of substance use disorders worldwide. The report shows an estimated 400 million people lived with alcohol and drug use disorders globally.
Impact of AUD on T Cells
However, alcohol can also weaken the immune system, cause serious health conditions and make the body more vulnerable to infections and viruses. Alcohol immunosuppression can cause someone to catch a simple cold easier than other people or develop a more serious condition such as cancer or septicemia. Within the GI tract, alcohol exposure can also alter the number and abundance of microorganisms https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/15-benefits-of-the-alcohol-free-lifestyle/ present within the microbiome, all of which play an important role in normal GI function. In addition to its adverse effects on GI functioning, the impact of alcohol on the GI microbiome can also alter the maturation and functions of the immune system. The first point of contact for alcohol after consumption is the gastrointestinal (GI) system before it is absorbed into the bloodstream.
- Images were quantified by ImageJ software version 1.47 (National Institutes of Health, imagej.nih.gov/ij/).
- The induction of canonical NF-κB with p50–p65 translocation to nucleus via pattern recognition receptors (PRR) is outlined by, for example, TLR4 and MyD88 activation.
- In addition to laboratory studies confirming the impact of alcohol consumption on the innate immune system, several studies have looked at how heavy drinking can alter plasma cytokine levels.
- This characteristic enables early stage cancer detection with a fludeoxyglucose-18 (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scan, a non-invasive imaging test that tracks the glucose consumption of cells and enables identification of cancerous ones (those gobbling more glucose).
How alcohol affects the innate immune system
Thus, several miRNAs themselves are regulated epigenetically but also are capable of targeting genes that control epigenetic pathways (e.g., polycomb group-related genes and histone deacetylase). Studies have identified ethanol-mediated changes in both miRNA abundance (Miranda et al. 2010; Pietrzykowski 2010) and epigenetic modifications within PBMCs (Biermann et al. 2009; Bleich and Hillemacher 2009; Bonsch et al. 2006). However, very few studies have examined ethanol-induced changes in gene expression and regulation within specific immune-cell subsets.
Cytokine assay
Adequate sleep helps the body fight off infections and viruses, and the less sleep you get, the less your immune system can protect your body. Alcohol can have a range of harmful effects on the body, which can diminish a person’s immune response and put them more at risk for COVID-19. The spike in alcohol sales has alarmed health experts and officials around the world, who are concerned that increased drinking could make people even more vulnerable to the respiratory disease.
- Ethanol is a sedative that suppresses activity of ionotropic glutamate receptors70, which are common targets of general anesthetics71.
- Similarly, C57BL6 mice fed a liquid diet in which ethanol provided 27 percent of the total calories generated significantly decreased DTH responses to a T-cell–dependent antigen (i.e., sheep red blood cells) (Jayasinghe et al. 1992).
- These data underline not only the reduction of pro-inflammatory interleukins but an increase of anti-inflammatory cytokines in serum samples as well [129].
- That’s because your body already has processes in place that allow it to store excess proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
- The number of B-1a cells also seems to decline, but this decrease is accompanied by a relative increase in the percentage of B-1b cells (Cook et al. 1996).