In contrast to these deleterious effects of heavy alcohol exposure, moderate alcohol consumption may have beneficial effects on the adaptive immune system, including improved responses to vaccination and infection. The molecular mechanisms underlying ethanol’s impact on the adaptive immune system remain poorly understood. Future studies should leverage the different models to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying the dose-dependent impact of alcohol on immune function by investigating changes in gene expression patterns (Mayfield and Harris 2009). Such approaches should also investigate the contributions of noncoding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), and epigenetic modifications, which are known to regulate gene expression patterns (Curtis et al. 2013; Sato et al. 2011). A single miRNA can target hundreds of mRNA transcripts, and a single mRNA transcript simultaneously can be targeted by more than one miRNA, ensuring fine-tuned and/or redundant control over a large number of biological functions.
This loss of naïve T cells could result from decreased T-cell production in the thymus; increased cell death (i.e., apoptosis) of naïve T cells; or increased homeostatic proliferation. Additional analyses detected evidence that T-cell proliferation in the spleen was increased in alcohol-consuming mice (Zhang and Meadows 2005). Together, these observations suggest that chronic alcohol consumption results in lymphopenia, which can increase homeostatic proliferation and accelerate conversion of naïve T cells into memory T cells (Cho et al. 2000). Because alcoholics are at increased risk for hepatitis B (HepB) infections, immunization with a HepB vaccine is recommended. Another study (Rosman et al. 1997) demonstrated that the impaired antibody response in alcoholic patients (i.e., with consumption levels of 230 ± 16 g/day ethanol for 26.4 ± 1.8 years) can be improved by doubling the dose of HepB vaccine from 10 μg to 20 μg at 0, 1, and 6 months. Thus, mice that were chronically fed ethanol generated a weaker antibody response following vaccination with HCV compared with control mice (Encke and Wands 2000).
Drug and Alcohol Effects on the Immune System
It can also lead to a wide range of health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease, liver disease, and increased risk of cancer. Alcohol consumption does not have to be chronic to have negative health consequences. In fact, research shows that acute binge drinking also affects the immune system. There is evidence in a number of physiological systems that binge alcohol intake complicates recovery from physical trauma (see the article by Hammer and colleagues). Molina and colleagues review research showing that alcohol impairs recovery from three types of physical trauma—burn, hemorrhagic shock, and traumatic brain injury—by affecting immune homeostasis.
Activated T cells normally undergo apoptosis if they receive a second activation stimulus within a short interval. This process is known as activation-induced cell death (AICD) and is important to maintain T-cell homeostasis and self-tolerance (Alderson et al. 1995). Furthermore, ethanol exposure decreased expression of the anti-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2 and promoted expression of the pro-apoptotic molecule BAX in the cells. These findings suggest that ethanol pretreatment can sensitize T cells to AICD (Kapasi et al. 2003).
Studies over the last 30 years have clearly demonstrated that chronic ethanol abuse impairs the functions of both T cells and B cells. Chronic sunrock thc alcohol consumption results in lymphopenia with a loss in circulating T cells and B cells. The decrease in T cells is accompanied by increased homeostatic proliferation, which in turn leads to increased T-cell differentiation, activation, and conversion to the memory phenotype.
Although most research has focused on the effects of heavy alcohol consumption on the immune system, several studies have also confirmed that even moderate consumption can have significant effects on the immune system. For example, one study found that women who consumed 330 mL of beer for 30 days exhibited a significant increase in leukocytes, mature CD3+ T-cells, neutrophils, and basophils. In contrast, men who consumed a similarly moderate amount of beer for the same period exhibited a significant increase in basophils alone. Alcohol alters the makeup of your gut microbiome — home to trillions of microorganisms performing several crucial roles for your health — and affects those microorganisms’ ability to support your immune system. It seems that drinking alcohol may also damage the immune cells that line the intestines and serve as the first line of defense against bacteria and viruses. Some alcoholic beverages contain components that combat ethanol’s damaging effects.
How Does Alcohol Consumption Affect the Immune System?
This article discusses the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and how to change your drinking habits. “Immune system recovery depends on how long you have been drinking, how much and how much damage you have done to your liver. Although your immune system may recover over time, at some point, liver damage becomes irreversible and your immune system will not recover.” “Alcohol also destroys the protective lining inside your respiratory tract that your immune system uses to prevent upper respiratory tract infections like the common cold,” Dasgupta says.
Higher Vulnerability to Disease
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. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) weakens your immune system over time by destroying a specific kind of white blood cells called CD4 cells, or helper T-Cells. If HIV is left untreated, it can evolve into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) during its final stages. This network is made up of white blood cells, skin cells, antibodies, lymph nodes, and other organs and tissues, like your spleen and bone marrow. They all work together to study, identify and destroy invaders (like bacteria, viruses and parasites) that cause infection and illness. “Anyone with chronic liver conditions should be avoiding alcohol, for example, people with hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, liver inflammation, and any condition that could affect liver function would be a reason to avoid alcohol,” notes Favini.
- When ALD reaches its final stage, known as alcoholic liver cirrhosis, the damage is irreversible and leads to complications.
- The unique nature of our immune systems means that not every immune system responds, reacts or functions in quite the same way.
- Alcohol consumption does not have to be chronic to have negative health consequences.
- DTH refers to a cutaneous T-cell–mediated inflammatory reaction that takes 2 to 3 days to develop.
- For example, an increase in estrogen can lead the body to develop breast cancer.
While you may experience euphoria or relaxation at first, in the long run, alcohol affects neurotransmitters, which can lead to changes in your thoughts, moods, and behavior. Alcohol also causes damage to nerves and pathways, which disrupts communication between essential organs and bodily functions. This can lead to conditions like stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS). For more information about alcohol and cancer, please visit the National Cancer Institute’s webpage “Alcohol and Cancer Risk” (last accessed June 6, 2024).
Sunlight may energize special cells in your immune system called T-cells that help fight infection. Many plants in the woods make phytoncides and other substances you breathe in that seem to bolster your immune function. Just having anxious thoughts can weaken your immune response in as little as 30 minutes.
There are ways to strengthen your newborn baby’s innate immunity or offer toddlers a boost of protection. But sometimes, you can be born with a primary immunodeficiency disorder (PIDD), where a part or all of your immune system doesn’t work effectively enough. If you use it regularly, you may have the same breathing problems you can get from nicotine cigarettes. That means coughing up colored mucus called phlegm and a higher chance of lung infections.
