How Alcohol Can Affect Your Immune System
In addition, alcohol significantly inhibits PMN phagocytic activity as well as the production or activity of several molecules (e.g., superoxide or elastase) that are involved in the PMNs’ bactericidal activity (Stoltz et al. 1999), so that overall bactericidal activity ultimately is reduced. The innate immune response orchestrated by all these components provides the first line of defense against invading pathogens and plays a key role in the activation and orientation of adaptive immunity, as well as in the maintenance of tissue integrity and repair. 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.
Not only that, but it’s possible that once a patient is infected, conditions linked to chronic drinking could aggravate the illness. High amounts of alcohol damage white blood cells and increase the number of viral particles in the body. Without the proper number of white blood cells, the immune system cannot fight against diseases as well. Large quantities of alcohol can lead to the inflammation of the liver, which eventually results in liver disease. Many people who drink on a daily basis have fatty liver, an early stage of alcoholic liver disease.
This Is How Alcohol Affects Your Immune System
In addition, antigen presenting cells convert vitamin D to 1,25(OH)2VD3, a physiologically active form of vitamin D that is highly concentrated in lymphoid tissues (Mora, Iwata et al. 2008) where it can modulate function of T and B cells which express vitamin D receptors. Vitamin D deficiency results in reduced differentiation, phagocytosis and oxidative burst, by monocytes as well as defective bactericidal activity by keratinocytes (Fabri, Stenger et al. 2011, Djukic, Onken et al. 2014). “Alcohol has diverse adverse effects throughout the body, including on all cells of the immune system, that lead to increased risk of serious infections,” said Dr. E. Jennifer Edelman, a Yale Medicine addiction medicine specialist.
- Besides in the liver, the enzymes involved in the oxidative metabolism of alcohol also are present in the intestinal mucosa and intestinal bacteria also produce acetaldehyde in the gastrointestinal tract [41].
- 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.
- As researchers work to understand the novel coronavirus, studies that would prove a connection between it and alcohol consumption are not yet available.
- A study conducted in 2015 showed that blocking TLR4 function most of the neuroinflammatory effects produced by ethanol were diminished [104].
The activity of these receptors triggers the activation of a number of molecular pathways that result in the expression of genes of the innate immune system, mainly proinflammatory factors, that contribute to a permanent neuroinflammatory state of the CNS. A study conducted in 2015 showed that blocking TLR4 function most of the neuroinflammatory effects produced by ethanol were diminished [104]. In another study, adolescent mice that consumed ethanol intermittently (3 g/kg) for two weeks, showed that this consumption pattern leads to an activation of TLR4 signaling pathways, an up-regulation of cytokines and proinflammatory mediators, in addition to synaptic and myelin alterations. TLR4-deficient mice prevented such neuroinflammation, synaptic and myelin alterations, as well as long-term cognitive alterations [105].
Alcohol and the Innate Humoral Response to Infections
Relationships between the innate and the adaptive immune systems and gut microbiota. (A) The innate immune response is a very fast, pathogen-non-specific, first line of defense mechanism. It is mainly composed of macrophages, dendritic and natural killer cells, as well as different forms of granulocytes. The adaptive immune system is highly specific to a particular pathogen and is formed by B and T cells lymphocytes.
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. “Drinking alcohol in large quantities even just for a short period of time — like binge drinking — can be bad for your health and your immune system,” says Favini. Alcohol intolerance is a problem with the specific enzyme that helps your body metabolize does alcohol suppress immune system alcohol. That’s because your body can’t make as many infection-fighting cells and proteins called antibodies that help defend against illness. Your body releases certain proteins that help the immune system, called cytokines, only during sleep. With bars closed and parties called off due to the coronavirus pandemic, many Americans are replacing in-person drinks with virtual happy hours.
Alcohol Use As a Risk Factor in Infections and Healing: A Clinician’s Perspective
In addition to psychotherapy, treatment can also include nutritional supplements and dietary guidance, as well as certain medications. It’s important to remember that alcohol can prevent the absorption of nutrients that your body needs, and a balanced diet can improve your immune system and overall health. A weak immune system can put you at higher risk of various medical conditions. As we said before, your immune system protects your body from unwelcome invaders and certain types of cancers. Fortunately, not drinking for 30 days can bring T cell counts back to normal levels. They do this by destroying the cells in your body that have been taken over by viruses.
The immune system is typically categorized into the innate and adaptive immune response systems, both of which are essential components in the body’s defense against pathogens. Though there’s still limited data on the link between alcohol and COVID-19, past evidence shows alcohol consumption can worsen the outcomes from other respiratory illnesses by damaging the lungs and gut, and impairing the cells responsible for immune function. “By damaging those cells in your intestines, it can make it easier for pathogens to cross into your bloodstream,” says Nate Favini, MD, medical lead at Forward, a preventive primary care practice. That is, by drinking too much, you decrease your body’s defensive mechanisms to fight off a cold, virus, or other bacterial or viral infections. For example, a 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.