You’ve probably heard the saying that a glass of red wine a day keeps the doctor away. While there are pros and cons to responsible alcohol use, the general consensus is that the possible benefits don’t outweigh the risks.
Too much of any alcoholic beverage can have adverse effects on your gut health. These effects are most evident with heavy drinking, which refers to 8 or more drinks per week for women and 15 or more drinks per week for men.
This article will highlight how the digestive system processes alcohol and its impact on the gut microbiome. We’ll also outline possible gut problems that can occur with drinking alcohol. Keep reading to learn more about alcohol’s effect on gut health.
How Does the Digestive System Process Alcohol?
After consumption, alcohol passes through the upper digestive tract. It’s absorbed into the bloodstream through the stomach lining and small intestine. From there, it’s transported to the liver, where it gets broken down. The liver removes 90% of alcohol from the bloodstream. The remaining alcohol gets excreted through your kidneys, lungs, and skin in the form of urine, breath, and sweat.
Your liver can process one standard alcoholic drink per hour. This equals roughly 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits. The process of breaking down alcohol creates harmful substances. This can cause liver damage if consuming too much alcohol repeatedly.
Can Alcohol Disrupt the Gut Microbiome?
Excess alcohol consumption can change the composition of your gut microbiome. For example, the microbiomes of people with liver disease lack beneficial groups of bacteria and contain higher concentrations of pathogenic bacteria.
Heavy drinking reduces gut bacteria that prevent a leaky gut. It also increases bacteria that produce toxins and inflammation. What’s more, alcoholic liver disease can lower the diversity of the gut microbiome. This can make you more susceptible to chronic illness.
Possible Alcohol-Related Gut Problems
Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of certain gut issues. Keep reading to discover possible alcohol-related gut problems.
Acid Reflux
Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid flows backward into the esophagus. This can cause burning chest pain known as heartburn. Drinking alcohol can trigger acid reflux by relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). This is the muscular valve that separates the esophagus and stomach.
The malfunction of the LES can increase symptoms of acid reflux, such as:
- Heartburn
- Vomiting
- Regurgitation
- Sour taste in the back of the mouth
- Nausea
- Hoarseness
- Difficulty swallowing
Liver Damage
Heavy alcohol consumption can damage your liver, which can lead to liver disease. There are 3 stages of alcoholic-related liver disease, with each increasing in severity.
1. Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
The first stage of liver disease is alcoholic fatty liver disease. This condition causes fat cells to accumulate in the liver, which can prevent it from functioning properly. Heavy alcohol consumption over a few days can cause alcoholic fatty liver disease. This condition often goes undetected, but it can cause the following symptoms:
- Right upper abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
2. Alcoholic Hepatitis
The second stage of alcohol-related liver disease is alcoholic hepatitis. This condition causes inflammation that destroys liver cells. Severe alcoholic hepatitis can be a life-threatening illness. Symptoms of alcoholic hepatitis may include:
- Abdominal pain
- Fever
- Jaundice
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Weight loss
- Ascites
3. Alcoholic Cirrhosis
The third and most severe stage of alcohol-related liver disease is alcoholic cirrhosis. This condition causes irreversible damage and replaces liver cells with dead scar tissue. Alcoholic cirrhosis impairs liver function and can lead to the following symptoms:
- Ascites
- GI bleed
- Confusion
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Edema
- Weight loss
- Jaundice
Alcoholic Gastritis
Excessive alcohol consumption can cause gastritis or inflammation of the stomach lining. Alcoholic gastritis can lead to immediate symptoms such as stomach pain, cramping, nausea, and vomiting. In severe cases, alcoholic gastritis can erode the stomach lining and cause stomach ulcers and GI bleeding.
If you continue to drink with alcoholic gastritis, it can permanently damage the stomach and digestive system. Repeated heavy alcohol use impairs the lining of the stomach, which makes it more susceptible to stomach acid and acidic foods. Long-term alcoholic gastritis can result in medical complications such as:
- Upper GI bleeding
- Esophageal tears
- Stomach cancer
- Upper GI obstruction
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is a condition that causes the pancreas to become inflamed. The pancreas produces enzymes and hormones that assist with digestion and blood sugar regulation. Excessive alcohol use can lead to pancreatitis. Symptoms of pancreatitis may include:
- Upper abdominal pain
- Back pain
- Abdominal tenderness
- Fever
- Rapid pulse
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Chronic alcohol abuse can decrease the pancreas’s functions due to scar tissue formation. This can cause complications such as kidney failure, malnutrition, diabetes, and pancreatic cancer.
Bloating
Certain types of alcohol can cause bloating. Drinking carbonated beverages increases the amount of air you swallow. This is because they contain carbon dioxide gas. Consuming carbonated beverages may worsen symptoms of bloating, such as abdominal cramps, belching, and flatulence.
Examples of carbonated alcoholic beverages include beer, hard seltzers, sparkling wine, and champagne. Mixing alcohol with soda can also cause air to build up in the digestive system.
Does Alcohol Increase Your Risk of Colon Cancer?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services lists alcohol as a known carcinogen based on human cancer studies. Even moderate alcohol consumption isn’t risk-free. Light drinkers, or those who have up to one drink per day, have a slightly increased risk of colon cancer.
Moderate to heavy drinking may increase the risk of colon cancer by 1.5 times. The more alcohol you consume regularly, the higher the risk of colon cancer and other alcohol-associated cancers.
Avoiding Heavy Drinking Can Protect Your Gut Health
Avoiding heavy drinking can help prevent damage to your digestive system. The effects of a night of drinking may not seem more serious than a bad hangover at first. But repeated excess alcohol consumption can cause life-changing medical complications in the long run.
While abstaining from alcohol is best, you may not need to give up drinking completely. If you’re healthy and only drink a light to moderate amount of alcohol, you can likely continue to do so safely. Moderate drinking refers to 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men.
For people with certain digestive disorders, drinking alcohol may trigger symptoms that worsen your condition. If these problems persist, you should contact your doctor. If you have any concerns about your gut health or possible alcohol-related gut issues in Lubbock, TX, you can schedule an appointment online or call our office at (806) 696-4440.
