Author: Gary Jackson

Alcohol’s Effects on the Body National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism NIAAA

The extent of the damage caused by alcohol depends on many different factors, one of them being your baseline inflammatory status, she continues. Alcohol changes the behavior of proteins responsible for letting substances exit your intestinal walls, Jandes explains. As a result, incompletely digested, potentially inflammatory food particles and toxins can enter the bloodstream. “Your immune system produces inflammatory cytokines when it detects foreign substances that have entered the body like bacteria, viruses, toxic substances, and certain foods; or when there is trauma,” says Jandes.

How to Reduce Chronic Inflammation

1. As part of your subscription and as medically indicated, physicians prescribe medications, and recommend supplements that are delivered to you from the comfort of your home.
2. This can lead to conditions like stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS).
3. “As alcohol gets broken down by the body, it leaves behind some by-products that can cause damage to the gut, the liver and other organs.

Heavy drinking can also lead to a host of health concerns, like brain damage, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even certain kinds of cancer. Eating causes an inflammatory response, while fasting reduces circulating levels of inflammatory mediators, notes Jandes. While we can’t quite knock that habit of eating—and honestly, who would want to? —intermittent fasting can help decrease the body’s overall inflammatory burden, she says. Studies have shown that when your body breaks down alcohol, a bunch of inflammatory compounds are produced. “As alcohol gets broken down by the body, it leaves behind some by-products that can cause damage to the gut, the liver and other organs.

Manage stress

So lemon water doesn’t just taste fancy and delicious—it also may help protect against alcohol-induced liver injury, at least according to one study conducted on animals (4). “This state of chronic inflammation is an underlying factor in many chronic disease states,” says Jandes. “If you’re overweight, have a leaky gut, or pop non-steroidal anti-inflammatories like candy, you may be especially prone to chronic inflammation,” Jandes adds.

The World Health Organization (WHO) links about 8.1 percent of all tuberculosis cases worldwide to alcohol consumption. A weakened immune system has a harder time protecting you from germs and viruses. That’s because drinking during pregnancy doesn’t just affect your health.

Which Alcohol Is the Least Inflammatory?

The gut inflammation can also spread endotoxins and cytokines into the bloodstream where they can enter the central nervous system (CNS), causing neuroinflammation. In large amounts, alcohol and its metabolites can overwhelm the gastrointestinal tract (GI) and liver and lead to damage both within the GI and in other organs. Specifically, alcohol and its metabolites promote intestinal inflammation through multiple pathways.

With continued alcohol use, steatotic liver disease can lead to liver fibrosis. Eventually, you can develop permanent and irreversible scarring in your liver, which is called cirrhosis. When your body’s inflammatory response works as it should, it helps your body heal and protect itself from further harm. But when it doesn’t shut down properly or reacts to the wrong causes, it can become a problem 2.

The Clinical Relevance of the Alcohol-Induced Gut-Derived Inflammation

Manaker recommends consuming a balanced diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, lean protein, healthy fats and whole grains. Plus, she recommends incorporating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants like berries, fatty fish and nuts. Omega-3s are known for their anti-inflammatory effects, and antioxidants can help counter harmful oxidative stress from alcohol consumption. This Anti-Inflammatory Lemony Salmon & Orzo Casserole is rich in omega-3s, and it’s sure to be a hit with you and your family. Genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors can impact how drinking alcohol affects your body and behavior.

Finding treatment for alcohol use disorder

If alcohol continues to accumulate in your system, it can destroy cells and, eventually, damage your organs. But when you ingest too much alcohol for your liver to process in a timely manner, a buildup of toxic substances begins to take a toll on your liver. Inflammation is a vital part of your body’s defenses against injury and infection—but when your body’s inflammatory system is imbalanced, too much of a good thing can cause some serious problems. There are several steps you can take to reduce inflammation in the body.

Alcoholic fatty liver disease

If you’re worried that your alcohol habits may be contributing to inflammation, rest assured that there are a few things you can do to reduce and prevent chronic inflammation. Isabel Vasquez is a bilingual registered dietitian practicing from an intuitive eating, culturally sensitive framework. Her clinical experience includes providing outpatient nutrition counseling to adults with a variety of chronic health conditions, along with providing family-based treatment for eating disorders in children and adolescents.