Moderate alcohol consumption and the immune system: a review

That can put you at risk for long-term disease, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Even a short bout of binge drinking leaves you at higher risk for infection for about 24 hours. Alcohol consumption has also been shown to alter immunoglobulin (Ig) levels.

Brain

“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. You can lower the risk of alcohol impacting your immune system by drinking less. But drinking can weaken this system, leaving us vulnerable to infections and diseases. Overall, avoid drinking more than moderate amounts if you want your immune system in good shape, says Favini. And if you feel like you’re coming down with something or are sick, do not drink.

• Another way alcohol can contribute to cancer growth is by acting as a solvent, allowing carcinogenic substances to enter cells more easily, says Andrews.
• That can put you at risk for long-term disease, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
• Here, alcohol can damage the epithelial cells, T-cells, and neutrophils in the GI tract, all of which can alter the gut barrier function and allow intestinal microorganisms to leak into circulation.
• There’s been an uptick in non-alcoholic drink options, as more and more companies are creating alternatives.

How Alcohol Affects Your Immune System

Treatment of a mouse cell line (i.e., A78-G/A7 hybridoma cells) with different concentrations of ethanol (25, 50, 100, and 200mM) for 48 hours resulted in a linear increase in IgM levels (Muhlbauer et al. 2001). Moreover, spontaneous IgA synthesis by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)— a mixed population of various white blood cells that also includes B cells—was higher in PBMCs isolated from alcoholic patients with liver disease compared with controls (Wands et al. 1981). IgA concentrations also were increased in a layer (i.e., the lamina propria) of the mucous membranes lining the intestine of adult female Wistar rats after acute ethanol administration (4g/kg intraperitoneally) for 30 minutes (Budec et al. 2007). Recent studies suggest that the increase in IgA levels may be mediated by an ethanol-induced elevation of the enzyme neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the animals’ intestine, because inhibition of nNOS before ethanol injection suppressed the IgA increase (Budec et al. 2013). However, additional studies are needed to fully uncover the mechanisms that underlie increased Ig production while B-cell numbers are reduced.

Liver

• While enjoying a single drink might not sound the alarms throughout the entire immune system, even moderate drinking can extend the time it takes your body to recover from illnesses.
• In the lungs, for example, alcohol damages the immune cells and fine hairs that have the important job of clearing pathogens out of our airway.
• These disruptions to the composition of the gut microbiota and to gut barrier function have important implications beyond the intestinal system.
• Dr. Sengupta shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body.
• Alcohol can suppress our innate immunity, which serves as the body’s frontline defense.

While it can suppress the rapid, non-specific responses of innate immunity, it also interferes with the adaptive immunity’s specialized responses. For adaptive immunity, alcohol can cause miscommunication among cells and reduce the immune system’s ability to remember and counteract specific threats. While enjoying a single drink might not sound the alarms throughout the entire immune system, even moderate drinking can extend the time it takes your body to recover from illnesses. How does drinking lower your immune system’s ability to defend you against diseases?

Alcohol has been shown to disrupt neurotransmitters, which can elevate the risk of anxiety, depression, impulsivity and psychosis over time, says Diaz. Chronic alcohol consumption can also lead to a deficiency in vitamin B1 (thiamine), potentially resulting in serious neurological disorders like Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, she adds. “Long-term heavy drinking may contribute to cognitive decline and increase the risk of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease,” adds Andrews. Alcohol consumption does not have to be chronic to have negative health consequences. In fact, research shows that acute binge drinking also affects the immune system. There is evidence in a number of physiological systems that binge alcohol intake complicates recovery from physical trauma (see the article by Hammer and colleagues).

Effects of alcohol on adaptive immunity

• Alcohol alters the makeup of your gut microbiome — home to trillions of microorganisms performing several crucial roles for your health — and affects those microorganisms’ ability to support your immune system.
• Even regular, moderate exercise such as walking, cycling or swimming strengthens the immune system and promotes blood circulation, allowing immune cells to pass through the body more quickly.
• Not only did they make half as much type-1 interferon as their abstemious equivalents, they also overproduced an inflammatory chemical called tumour necrosis factor-alpha.
• The molecular mechanisms underlying ethanol’s impact on the adaptive immune system remain poorly understood.
• If you drink every day, or almost every day, you might notice that you catch colds, flu or other illnesses more frequently than people who don’t drink.
• That’s because alcohol can weaken your immune system, slow healing and make your body more susceptible to infection.

Monocytes exposed to a bacterial chemical suffered a double blow when inebriated. Not only did they make half as much type-1 interferon as their abstemious equivalents, they also overproduced an inflammatory chemical called tumour necrosis factor-alpha. Although important for initiating inflammatory responses to bacteria, continued production of this chemical can damage tissue. Understanding the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol consumption can help you make an informed choice about whether to raise a glass or take a pass on that next round. From clinking glasses for a toast to unwinding with friends after a long day, alcohol has played a central role in shaping traditions and celebrations for centuries.

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 adaptive immune system can be further subdivided into cell-mediated immunity and humoral immunity. Whereas T-cells are primarily involved with cell-mediated immunity, B-cells play a major role in humoral immunity. Although the innate immune response is immediate, it is not specific to any given pathogen. Some of the most notable contributors to the innate immune response include natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells (DCs). If you drink every day, or almost every day, you might notice that you catch colds, flu or other illnesses more frequently than people who don’t drink.

Alcohol distracts the body from other functions

• Likewise, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats consuming liquid diets containing up to 12 g ethanol/kg/day for 35 days exhibited significantly reduced absolute numbers of T cells (Helm et al. 1996).
• That’s because your body can’t make as many infection-fighting cells and proteins called antibodies that help defend against illness.
• Our daily research-backed readings teach you the neuroscience of alcohol, and our in-app Toolkit provides the resources and activities you need to navigate each challenge.
• Pancreatitis can be a short-term (acute) condition that clears up in a few days.
• We need lots of different ‘good’ bacteria in our gastrointestinal (GI) tract for healthy immune function.
• Alcohol use can exacerbate mental health conditions, like anxiety and depression, or lead to their onset.

Not only will drinking alcohol reduce your immune system’s strength, but alcohol also has a dehydrating effect. For those who have a risk factor for COVID-19, like heart disease or diabetes, he recommends drinking even less. Even drinking a little too much (binge drinking) can alcohol lower your immune system on occasion can set off a chain reaction that affects your well-being. Lowered inhibitions can lead to poor choices with lasting repercussions — like the end of a relationship, an accident or legal woes. Each of those consequences can cause turmoil that can negatively affect your long-term emotional health.

World Health Organization Health Topics Alcohol

Though alcohol seems woven into the fabric of our social lives, drinking can have harmful health effects, even in small doses. Short-term and long-term effects of alcohol can negatively impact the mind and body, despite any potential benefits. By illuminating the key events and mechanisms of alcohol-induced immune activation or suppression, research is yielding deeper insights into alcohol’s highly variable and sometimes paradoxical influences on immune function. The insights summarized in this issue of ARCR present researchers and clinicians with opportunities to devise new interventions or refine existing ones to target the immune system and better manage alcohol-related diseases. “Although there is no evidence that moderate drinking harms the immune system, it is better to stick to wine or beer since these have lower percent alcohol,” Dasgupta says. “Higher percent alcohol in hard liquor may kill more bacteria in the gut.”

Alcohol Consumption Recommendations and Limits

That’s because your body already has processes in place that allow it to store excess proteins, carbohydrates and fats. So, your system prioritizes getting rid of alcohol before it can turn its attention to its other work.