Alcohol and the Gut

The holiday season is just around the corner and with that comes celebration, sometimes with alcohol. In this newsletter, I want to highlight the connection between alcohol and the gut, a relatively new concept in the nutrition research field.

First off, alcohol is absorbed in the upper intestinal tract and then enters the liver via the portal vein. The liver then begins to break down the alcohol so the body can remove it because quite frankly, alcohol is a poison to the body and it wants to get it out as quick as possible. Drink too much alcohol and the liver has a much tougher time breaking it down and the cells in the liver can eventually become damaged. That’s why most of the recommendations around alcohol consumption always include the word “moderation”. That’s all fine and dandy but let’s get into the new data on alcohol and its relationship with the gut.

The bacteria in the gut help to metabolize alcohol, which is why individuals tolerate alcohol in different ways. Drinking too much can cause inflammation in the gut and make it more permeable. This means whole food particles and toxins may cross into the gut lining and enter the bloodstream which can then trigger a number of immune responses. Chronic alcohol consumption may also result in bacterial overgrowth in the gut and dysbiosis (imbalance in gut microbes that can be associated with certain diseases). Obviously, having a good amount of healthy bacteria in your gut will help you metabolize alcohol better which is even more reason to eat those probiotic-rich foods and possibly use a probiotic supplement.

Lastly, drinking too much alcohol can inhibit the production of digestive enzymes, making it more difficult to digest certain foods and can also increase the desire to eat more processed foods. This can cause an imbalance of the good to bad bacteria ratio in the microbiome and may cause a cascade of negative consequences in the body.

This certainly doesn’t mean all alcohol is “bad”. Some of it, red wine for example, is chock full of polyphenols and antioxidants but it is important to understand that there does exist a relationship between alcohol and the gut and it is highly beneficial to be a smart consumer of alcohol and not go too crazy with your alcohol consumption during the holidays (or any other time). Here’s to a great holiday season!

If you have any questions, please reach out to me.