Moreover, some people shouldn’t drink at all, according to the Dietary Guidelines. This includes people who are pregnant, have alcohol abuse disorder, or are taking medications that interact with alcohol. The immune system is how your body defends itself from infections — like harmful bacteria and viruses — and prevents you from getting sick. But just like a muscle, the immune system can become weak and fail to protect you against infection as well. If you drink more than 12 units of alcohol, you’re at considerable risk of developing alcohol poisoning, particularly if you’re drinking many units over a short period of time. After drinking 10 to 12 units of alcohol, your co-ordination will be highly impaired, placing you at serious risk of having an accident.
While small amounts of alcohol may have a positive effect on heart health, large quantities increase the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Additionally, it can lead to stroke and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), among other things. Though heavy alcohol use has long-term impacts on your immune system and overall health, it is never too late to seek treatment. A weakened immune system makes it more difficult for your body to fight off infection. As a result, if you are exposed to certain infections, you are more likely to get sick.
Why do people get postnatal anxiety and how can we treat it?
But more recent research suggests there’s really no “safe” amount of alcohol since even moderate drinking can negatively impact brain health. People who binge drink or drink heavily may notice more health effects sooner, but alcohol also poses some risks for people who drink in moderation. Understanding how alcohol affects the mind, body, and overall health can help you make the most informed decisions about your consumption habits. If you’re concerned with your alcohol consumption and attitude toward drinking, talk to a healthcare provider as a first step. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 69.5% of people in the United States reported drinking within the last year.
25.8% of people classified their recent consumption habits as binge drinking (excessive drinking in a defined amount of time). 4Expression of TNF-α and IL-1β requires the actions of a protein called nuclear factor (NF)- B. The activity of this protein is regulated by another molecule, inhibitor of NF- B (I B). Alcohol acts on this molecule (i.e., decreases phosphorylation of I B), thereby allowing I B to attach to NF- B, interfering with its activation of cytokine expression (Mandrekar et al. 1999).
How Alcohol Weakens Your Immune System
Alcohol consumption has also been shown to alter immunoglobulin (Ig) levels. To this end, heavy drinkers have been shown to exhibit an increase in both IgA and IgM levels when compared to both moderate and light male drinkers. The first point of contact for alcohol after consumption is the gastrointestinal (GI) system before it is absorbed into the bloodstream. 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.
It is characterized by the release of mediators of inflammatory reactions, such as cytokines and chemokines, as well as activation of the complement cascade. In addition, viral infections induce the production of various IFNs and acute-phase proteins. Many of these components are affected by acute or chronic alcohol exposure. The cell-mediated arm of the innate immunity is orchestrated primarily by granulocytes, monocytes/macrophages, dendritic cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. Granulocytes are white blood cells (i.e., leukocytes) that derive their name from the large granules that are visible when the cells are stained for microscopic analysis. They further are characterized by oddly shaped nuclei with multiple lobes and therefore also are called polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs).
Which Health Risks Are Associated with a Weakened Immune System?
Catalase is localized to peroxisomes and requires hydrogen peroxide to oxidize alcohol into water and acetaldehyde. Alcohol metabolism can also take place in the pancreas by acinar and pancreatic stellate cells, which contributes to the development of alcoholic pancreatitis (Vonlaufen, Wilson et al. 2007). Additional studies are required to fully understand the role of ethanol metabolites and adducts in the development of alcoholic liver injury and organ damage. Past research shows alcohol consumption leads to more severe lung diseases, like adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and other pulmonary diseases, including pneumonia, tuberculosis, and respiratory syncytial virus.
- Both innate and adaptive immunity rely on a multitude of different cells and molecules.
- Nonetheless, nonhuman primate models come with their disadvantages as well.
- Drinking too much alcohol kills healthy bacteria and impairs the immune system, which causes the body to have less resistance to infections.
- “When you’re feeling run down or like you might get sick, you want to be well hydrated so that all the cells in your body have enough fluid in them and can work really well,” Favini says.
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 does alcohol suppress immune system in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling, which is known to down-regulate immune activity and inflammation by down-regulating NFκB (Pelaia, Vatrella et al. 2003). Indeed, NFκB was down-regulated in the alcohol group compared with the control group (Joosten, van Erk et al. 2012). The observed decrease in expression of NFκB is in line with earlier studies examining decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine production with moderate alcohol consumption.
This is when the body produces an army of antibodies specific to the incoming threat. This generates “immune memory,” which ensures that the next time the body faces the same invader, the immune system is better equipped to take it down. Monocytes exposed to a bacterial chemical suffered a double blow when inebriated.
- Only if a pathogen can evade the different components of this response (i.e., structural barriers as well as cell-mediated and humoral responses) does the infection become established and an adaptive immune response ensues.
- “In essence, using alcohol to dampen emotional misery ends up making people more miserable,” he says.
- 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.
Acetate is then released into the blood where it is oxidized to carbon dioxide in the heart, skeletal muscle, and brain (Zakhari 2006). However, alcohol can change the amount of these helpful bacteria in your gut. Those who have any of the known risk factors for COVID-19, like heart disease or diabetes, should drink even less. The World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. surgeon general have warned people to avoid drinking too much alcohol during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Liver
Only two studies have examined alcohol-induced changes in colonic (Mutlu, Gillevet et al. 2012) and fecal microbiomes (Chen, Yang et al. 2011), and both studies focused on individuals with AUD. Alcohol also impacts the function of immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), particularly astrocytes and microglia. Astrocytes are major glial cells that regulate neuronal function and CNS homeostasis.
