Single episode of binge drinking linked to immune system negative effects (2014-05-22)

It only takes one time. That’s the message of a new study on binge drinking by Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD. She found that a single episode of binge drinking can have significant negative health effects resulting in bacteria leaking from the gut, leading to increased levels of toxins in the blood. Published online in PLOS ONE, the study showed that these bacterial toxins, called endotoxins, caused the body to produce immune cells involved in fever, inflammation and tissue destruction.

 

 

“Our observations suggest that an alcohol binge is more dangerous than previously thought”, said Dr. Szabo, professor of medicine, vice chair of the Department of Medicine and associate dean for clinical and translational sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Binge drinking is defined by NIAAA as a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08g/dL or above. For a typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming five or more drinks for men, or four or more drinks for women, in about two hours. Some individuals will reach a 0.08g/dL BAC sooner depending on body weight.

“While the negative health effects of chronic drinking are well-documented, this is a key study to show that a single alcohol binge can cause damaging effects such as bacterial leakage from the gut into the blood stream,” said Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of NIH.

In the study, 11 men and 14 women were given enough alcohol to raise their blood alcohol levels to at least .08 g/dL within an hour. Blood samples were taken every 30 minutes for four hours after the binge and again 24 hours later.

The researchers found that the alcohol binge resulted in a rapid increase in endotoxin levels in the blood and evidence of bacterial DNA, showing that bacteria had permeated the gut. Endotoxins are toxins contained in the cell wall of certain bacteria that are released when the cell is destroyed. Compared to men, women had higher blood alcohol levels and circulating endotoxin levels.

Earlier studies have tied chronic alcohol use to increased gut permeability, wherein potentially harmful products can travel through the intestinal wall and be carried to other parts of the body. Greater gut permeability and increased endotoxin levels have been linked to many of the health issues related to chronic drinking, including alcoholic liver disease.

For more information
PLOS ONE
Acute Binge Drinking Increases Serum Endotoxin and Bacterial DNA Levels in Healthy Individuals

University of Massachusetts Medical School
Single episode of binge drinking adversely affects health

The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

MDN