Beer fear or Wine fine? What happens to your gut when you gulp down alcohol

New Delhi

To the individuals who are not alcohol addicts, or even the ones that are, a frothy beer can often enhance a meal. 

But what does alcohol do the trillions of microbes living in your gut?

"There is a lot that we don't know", Dr. Lorenzo Leggio, a physician-scientist who studies alcohol use and addiction at the National Institutes of Health told New York Times.

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Scientists are beginning to explore how drinking may influence your gut. They are learning that overdoing it could have some consequences.

What happens to the gut of alcoholic persons? 

A handful of studies have found that people with an inability to stop problematic drinking often have an imbalance of "good" and "bad" bacteria in their guts.

This is called dysbiosis, it is associated with greater inflammation and disease compared with having a healthier microbiome.

This simply means that heavy drinkers do not have a healthy gut. Heavy drinkers with dysbiosis have "leakier" intestinal linings. That is, microbes, food and toxins may reach the rest of the body through blood stream.

When the gut lining breaks down, bacteria and toxins can escape into the bloodstream and flow to the liver, according to a scientist cited by the New York Times. 

Also read | The gut-kidney connection: How microbiome influences kidney health

In a 2023 study, researchers looked at the microbiomes of 71 people aged 18 to 25 who did not have alcohol use disorder. 

Those who drank four or more drinks within about two hours (for women) or five or more drinks (for men) had microbiome changes that correlated with greater alcohol cravings. 

The study also added to the previous research that found that binge drinking was associated with greater blood markers of inflammation.

Researchers have looked at the microbiomes of people who were treated for alcohol use disorder and found that within two to three weeks after the people stopped drinking, their gut microbes started to show signs of recovering and their gut linings became less "leaky", New York Times reported.

But people who get treated for alcohol use disorder also usually start to eat more healthily and sleep better, which can improve gut health as well.

(With inputs from agencies)