How high and continuous alcohol consumption can affect your gut health

Alcohol consumption and leaky gut

Your intestinal health is important to your overall health. Your gut contains trillions of bacteria that help break down the food we consume into energy laden molecules that are small enough to be transported through the gut, into the bloodstream, and to every organ in the body (1).

Drinking significant amounts of alcohol can cause changes to your gut health, which might range from mild to severe, depending on the amount of alcohol consumed and the frequency of the consumption, individual genetics, bowel movements, the overall health status, disruptions in the sleep-wake cycles, lifestyle and life stage (2, 3).

Changes in the gut that can be caused by continuously (over)consuming alcohol (2–11):

1. Inflammation of the gut — bacteria in the intestine metabolise alcohol, and produce inflammation-inducing molecules in the gut
2. Changes in bacterial composition, and an overgrowth of the bacteria triggering inflammation in the intestine. Bacterial composition differs from one individual to the other, and are influenced by the age, biological sex, stress exposure, genetics, geography where you live. When the individual bacterial composition is balanced, it ensures the production of nutritious molecules (including vitamins), maintenance of the intestinal barrier and prevention of the outgrowth of harmful bacteria.
3. Disrupted gut barrier aka “leaky gut” — leading bacteria and other molecules that cause inflammation to reach the bloodstream, from where they can reach other organs and cause inflammation.
4. Reducing the rate of absorption of healthy/nutrient molecules into the bloodstream, which in severe cases can be comparable to the experience of people with an untreated celiac disease.
5. Slowing down metabolism by slowing down GI motility — this causes more bacteria triggering inflammation to grow in the intestine.

It is important to remember that not everyone who drinks alcohol will develop a leaky gut or other type of gastrointestinal problems. Even people who do develop problems will experience a varying degree of disease intensity/severity. Although in general the extent of problems depends on the amount of alcohol consumed and the duration of alcohol consumption, the effect is dependent on individual characteristics, including genetics, biological sex, lifestyle, lifestage.

A change in the bacterial composition of the gut, as well as the disruption of the gut barrier (“leaky gut”) has been shown in people diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and an underactive thyroid condition (12). There is no currently published evidence on how alcohol may further contribute to leaky gut in hypothyroid patients.

Research has shown that these steps might help reverse the effect of alcohol on the gut (2, 13–24):

1. Reducing your alcohol intake
2. Change in diet — changing the diet from the western-style diet (high intakes of high-fat, high-sugar foods and drinks, high intakes of red meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products) to a fiber -rich diet can help return to a normal balance of bacteria in the gut.
3. Coffee, green tea and dark chocolate contain dietary polyphenols, which may help balance bacteria in the gut.
4. Consuming probiotics (bacteria and other microorganisms that are believed to provide health benefits), prebiotics (substances promoting the growth and activity of bacteria) and synbiotics (combination of probiotics and prebiotics).
5. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) — transfer of fresh, frozen, or dried fecal microorganisms from the gut of a healthy donor into the intestinal tract of a patient in order to “reset the gut”.
6. Good sleep — sleeping long enough and at the appropriate time of the day, as the intestine activity follows the circadian rhythm, a 24-hour biological pattern that synchronizes the body with the daily environmental patterns (including light-dark, eating patterns and frequency)
7. Ensure your body has sufficient levels of zinc (which has been shown to help reverse leaky gut in Crohns’ patients), L-glutamine (a non-essential amino acid, usually produced in the muscles), and vitamin D (which can protect against the intestinal injury caused by alcohol).
8. Consume oats, if your health allows you, as they are shown to help with reversal of some of the alcohol effects on the gut (n.b. oats contain glutamine).

How we write: our information is based on the results of peer reviewed studies using the National Library of Medicine platform. It is written by scientists and reviewed by external experts. If you believe we might have overseen crucial scientific information, please contact us at hello@boostthyroid.com

Disclaimer: This information is not intended to mitigate, prevent, treat, cure or diagnose any disease or condition. If you want to change your treatment, lifestyle, your diet, include supplements in your diet or have concerns about your health, please consult your doctor before trying new approaches.

References:

1. Hills RD Jr, et al. Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease, 2019
2. Meroni M, et al. Alcohol or Gut Microbiota: Who Is the Guilty, 2019
3. Vassallo G, et al. Review article: Alcohol and gut microbiota — the possible role of gut microbiota modulation in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease, 2015
4. Zhong W, et al. Alterations of the gut microbiome and metabolome in alcoholic liver disease, 2014
5. Patel S, Behara R, et al. Alcohol and the Intestine, 2015
6. Mutlu EA, et al. Colonic microbiome is altered in alcoholism, 2012
7. Hill DA, et al. Metagenomic analyses reveal antibiotic-induced temporal and spatial changes in intestinal microbiota with associated alterations in immune cell homeostasis, 2010
8. Clemente JC, et al. The impact of the gut microbiota on human health: an integrative view, 2012
9. Lozupone CA, et al. Diversity, stability and resilience of the human gut microbiota, 2012
10. Bjørkhaug ST, et al. Chronic alcohol overconsumption may alter gut microbial metabolism: a retrospective study of 719 13C-D-xylose breath test results, 2017
11. Chang CS, et al. Small intestine dysmotility and bacterial overgrowth in cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, 1998
12. Cayres LCF, et al. Detection of Alterations in the Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Permeability in Patients With Hashimoto Thyroiditis, 2021
13. de Vrese M, et al. Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, 2008
14. Eiseman B, et al. Fecal enema as an adjunct in the treatment of pseudomembranous enterocolitis, 1958
15. Al-Ali D, et al. Fecal microbiota transplants: A review of emerging clinical data on applications, efficacy, and risks (2015–2020), 2021
16. Hoogerwerf WA. Role of biological rhythms in gastrointestinal health and disease, 2009
17. Reddy AB, et al. Healthy clocks, healthy body, healthy mind, 2010
18. Golombek DA, et al. The times they’re a-changing: effects of circadian desynchronization on physiology and disease, 2013
19. Zhong W, et al. The role of zinc deficiency in alcohol-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction, 2010
20. Sturniolo GC, et al. Zinc supplementation tightens “leaky gut” in Crohn’s disease, 2001
21. De-Souza DA, et al. Intestinal permeability and systemic infections in critically ill patients: effect of glutamine, 2005
22. Chen SW, et al. Protective effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on ethanol-induced intestinal barrier injury both in vitro and in vivo, 2015
23. Keshavarzian A, et al. Preventing gut leakiness by oats supplementation ameliorates alcohol-induced liver damage in rats, 2001
24. Chaudhry KK, et al. Glutamine supplementation attenuates ethanol-induced disruption of apical junctional complexes in colonic epithelium and ameliorates gut barrier dysfunction and fatty liver in mice, 2016

Photo: Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash; Design: VLM Health

Originally published at https://www.boostthyroid.com on November 5, 2021.