The innate immune response to a pathogen is followed by an adaptive immune response that is activated only after the body is exposed to the pathogen for the first time and which is specific to that one pathogen. This defect was rescued when cultures were treated with the Rho kinase inhibitor, Y27632 indicative that ethanol reduced efferocytosis through the induction of Rho kinase activity in a dose-dependent manner (Boe, Richens et al. 2010). In addition, female mice that consumed 20% (w/v) ethanol for 8 weeks showed a reduction in LPS activated efferocytosis (Boe, Richens et al. 2010). In contrast to the effects of high ethanol doses, human monocytes isolated after 30 days of moderate beer consumption (330mL for women and 660mL for men) exhibited increased phagocytic, oxidative burst, and intracellular bactericidal activity when incubated with fluorescence-labeled E.
- Consuming small amounts of alcohol in moderation or abstaining from alcohol altogether can help reduce inflammation, improve your overall health, and reduce your risk of chronic diseases.
- “Those at increased risk should cut down or abstain from alcohol because every little thing an individual can do to improve the health and reduce risk is worth it at this point, even if the evidence is not entirely clear,” Mroszczyk-McDonald said.
- Chronic excessive alcohol consumption causes inflammation in a variety of organs, including the gut, brain and liver.
- Alcohol’s widespread effects on immune function also are underscored in the article by Gauthier, which examines how in utero alcohol exposure interferes with the developing immune system in the fetus.
The ethanol in alcohol damages immune cells because it generates free radicals. Alcoholic drinks containing antioxidants may cause less damage than other drinks because they help protect against some of the free radicals in ethanol. While any alcoholic drink can have negative effects on the body, beers or wines that contain vitamins, antioxidants and polyphenols may cause less damage to the immune system than heavy liquors.
Does alcohol weaken the immune system? Yes, if you drink too much
What’s more, a short period of binge drinking — let’s say a month — can cause a reduction in T cells. And this reduction is equal to that of someone who has been binge drinking for 6 months. Your immune system has several different cell types, each of which has a different but very important job to help keep you healthy. Alcohol can have a range of harmful effects on the body, which can diminish a person’s immune response and does alcohol suppress immune system put them more at risk for COVID-19. “Those at increased risk should cut down or abstain from alcohol because every little thing an individual can do to improve the health and reduce risk is worth it at this point, even if the evidence is not entirely clear,” Mroszczyk-McDonald said. “Alcohol intake can kill normal healthy gut bacteria, which help to promote health and reduce risk of infection,” Mroszczyk-McDonald said.
Multiple aspects of both arms of the immunity response are significantly affected by alcohol abuse, as described in the following sections. 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. Their ability to serve as antigen presenting cells and produce cytokines in vivo has been controversial (Dong and Benveniste 2001).
How Alcohol Weakens Your Immune System
For more information about alcohol’s effects on the body, please visit the Interactive Body feature on NIAAA’s College Drinking Prevention website. Drinking also makes it harder for your body to properly tend to its other critical functions, like fighting off a disease. When the body is unable to clear a pathogen, an infection can worsen and lead to more severe, life threatening complications. Alcohol has been flying off the shelves as people try to combat boredom during lockdown, with some reports estimating that alcoholic beverage sales surged by 55 percent toward the end of March.
