Guest Article: I've Gut A Feeling - The Effects of Drinking on Your GI Health
/Written by guest contributor Dr. Dawn Bantel, a licensed ND, owner of Integrative Recovery Medicine clinic and specialist in addictions and eating disorders.
It’s almost impossible to be online in the wellness sphere and not see articles about how important gut health is to one’s overall health. This has been an exciting development to watch evolve over the past decade. Many diseases have been linked to gut health including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, psychiatric illness, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. There is even interesting research indicating how alterations in gut bacteria are related to the outcomes in those infected with COVID.
These developments have sparked a lot of interest in how to support and improve gut health. Most have heard that probiotics and probiotic-containing foods are beneficial for gut health but have you ever wondered how drinking affects gut health?
Drinking can affect the digestive system in a number of ways:
Vitamin Absorption & Drinking
Drinking can block the absorption of some nutrients, especially thiamine, folate, and B12
The digestive tract is where nutrients are absorbed from food. Drinking can block the absorption of some nutrients, especially thiamine, folate, and B12. B vitamins play many important roles including proper cell functioning and replication, energy production, and neurotransmitter creation. Adequate folate levels are especially important for women that are pregnant, or are considering becoming pregnant, to prevent neural tube defects in babies.
Alcohol and the absorption of Vitamin A and Vitamin D
Drinking can also prevent the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A and D. Both have important roles that include involvement in the immune system and cancer prevention. Vitamin D deficiency is very common and most often attributed to a lack of sun exposure.
2. The Gut Microbiome
Research indicates that drinking alcohol alters the composition of the gut microbiome
This is the area of gut health that has received the most attention in recent years.
The microbiome is the name for the bacteria that reside in the gut.. Ideally, it’s a community of diverse types of bacteria that support gut health in a number of ways. They help to digest the food that we eat. In return, they release by-products that are extremely beneficial for health. Some of these are neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA that are involved in mood. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are another metabolite produced by beneficial bacteria that have received a lot of attention because of the broad reach that they have on health. They contribute to a healthy gut environment and their role in the body is just starting to be understood. They help to reduce inflammation, are involved in energy production and metabolism, and support healthy brains.
A healthy and diverse microbiome is supported by eating a diet that is full of plant-based foods, especially those that are high in fiber. This feeds the beneficial bacteria and helps them to flourish. A healthy microbiome can be altered by several factors such as medication, disease, and diet. Sugar, saturated fats, and processed foods create an environment that shifts the microbiome to a less diverse community of bacteria. These bacteria disrupt the health of the gut and release different by-products, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that result in a pro-inflammatory state in the body.
Inflammation in the body, also known as meta-inflammation, is an underlying factor for most chronic health issues. This includes cardiovascular disease, arthritic conditions, diabetes, and obesity. A fairly recent finding is that a number of mental health conditions including depression and anxiety disorders are correlated with inflammation.
Research indicates that drinking alters the composition of the gut microbiome to a less diverse, more pro-inflammatory state. There is a decrease in the anti-inflammatory types of bacteria like lactobacillus and bifidobacteria and an increase in the more pathogenic bacteria that release LPS. In mouse models, it happens very quickly, just within days of the administration of alcohol. There is also some research that shows that increased inflammation levels are correlated to increased cravings to drink.
3. Digestive Tract Function & Drinking Alcohol
Drinking can impact the functioning of the digestive system from the beginning to the end. Damage from drinking often impacts stomach acid and digestive enzyme production.
Common issues related to drinking include the loosening of the muscles at the top of the stomach resulting in acid reflux, erosion of the lining of the digestive tract that can lead to bleeding, ulcers, or cancer.
Food for thought: AF Beverages & Gut Health
It’s known that fermented foods and drinks are gut-healthy. This is why kombucha has become so popular. That begs the question, since drinks are made from fermented sources, wouldn’t they be considered healthy for this reason too?
Even though drinking consists of fermented drinks, it’s the presence of ethanol (alcohol) that’s responsible for the detrimental effects that occur after drinking. There are other components like polyphenols in beer and wine that are beneficial for gut health. It appears that alcohol-free beer and wine may be actually health boosting and a good option for anyone wanting to provide more of a boost to their gut health.
References:
Bode, C. (1997). Alcohol’s Role in Gastrointestinal Tract Disorders. RESEARCH WORLD, 21(1), 8.
Hernández-Quiroz, F., Nirmalkar, K., Villalobos-Flores, L. E., Murugesan, S., Cruz-Narváez, Y., Rico-Arzate, E., Hoyo-Vadillo, C., Chavez-Carbajal, A., Pizano-Zárate, M. L., & García-Mena, J. (2020). Influence of moderate beer consumption on human gut microbiota and its impact on fasting glucose and β-cell function. Alcohol, 85, 77–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alcohol.2019.05.006
Qamar, N., Castano, D., Patt, C., Chu, T., Cottrell, J., & Chang, S. L. (2019). Meta-analysis of alcohol induced gut dysbiosis and the resulting behavioral impact. Behavioural Brain Research, 376, 112196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112196
About the author
Dawn Bantel, NMD is a licensed naturopathic doctor Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) in Tucson, Arizona. She served as medical director of two residential treatment centers for a total of 17 years. One specializes in the treatment of trauma and addictions, the other for eating disorder treatment. She currently has a private telehealth practice, Integrative Recovery Medicine. She combines functional testing and naturopathic medicine to support people with mental health and addiction recovery. When not working, she enjoys making TikTok videos and traveling to far-flung places with her family.
