In addition to the phagocytes, proteins of the complement system also recognize the invading bacteria and bind to proteins on the bacterial surface. This binding triggers several biochemical processes that eventually lead to the destruction of the bacteria. Adaptive immune responses, on the other hand, are highly specific to new invaders.3 They involve T cells and B cells, which learn how to recognize antigens and not attack our own cells.4 These adaptive responses are helpful due to their long-lived memories and the ability to adapt to new types of infections. T and B cell activation in the presence of retinoic acid results in the up-regulation of gut-homing molecules and generation of IgA-secreting B cells (Mora, Iwata et al. 2008).
Although ample data are available on the immunological abnormalities caused by alcohol use and HIV infection, respectively, knowledge concerning their combined immunosuppressive effects is more limited. Some researchers have proposed that alcohol’s modulatory effects on the immune system may increase the risk of initial HIV infection as well as accelerate the infection’s progression. Although this hypothesis still awaits formal confirmation, several findings support alcohol’s does alcohol suppress your immune system proposed influence. For example, one study found that HIV multiplied faster in blood cells isolated from binge drinkers or subjects who had received an acute alcohol dose than in cells from people who had not been exposed to alcohol (Bagasra et al. 1996). Moreover, a case report of an HIV-infected person demonstrated that the HIV infection progressed rapidly and that the patient developed full-blown AIDS after initiating heavy alcohol use (Fong et al. 1994).
The Truth About…—Boosting Your Immune System
Alcohol also impairs Type-I interferon-receptor signaling by inhibiting STAT signaling (Norkina et al. 2008; Plumlee et al. 2005). Alcohol modulates the function of nearly all components of the innate immune system, but the specific effects on inflammatory cell responses depend on the pattern of alcohol exposure (i.e., acute or chronic). In human monocytes or mouse macrophages, acute alcohol results in a decrease in TLR responses (i.e., TLR tolerance), which attenuates particularly production of the TNFα in response to a subsequent LPS stimulation (Bala et al. 2012; Mandrekar et al. 2009). Even a single episode of binge drinking can have measurable effects on the innate immune system, inducing a transient proinflammatory state within the first 20 minutes after alcohol ingestion, followed by an anti-inflammatory state 2 to 5 hours after alcohol ingestion (Afshar et al. 2015). As reviewed by Szabo and Saha, alcohol’s combined effects on both innate and adaptive immunity significantly weaken host defenses, predisposing chronic drinkers to a wide range of health problems, including infections and systemic inflammation.
For example, in a model of lung infection, acute alcohol intoxication suppressed the production of certain chemokines (i.e., CINC and MIP-2) during infection and inflammation, thereby markedly impairing the recruitment of additional neutrophils to the site of infection (Boé et al. 2003). This defective neutrophil recruitment could be partially restored by localized chemokine administration (Quinton et al. 2005). A second study by Joosten et al. also analyzed gene expression profiles in PBMCs isolated from 24 healthy male subjects who consumed 50mL of vodka with 200mL orange https://ecosoberhouse.com/ juice or only orange twice daily for 4 weeks during dinner (considered to be moderate). Pathways involving antigen presentation, B and T cell receptor signaling, and IL-15 signaling were altered with moderate vodka consumption (Joosten, van Erk et al. 2012). The most significant change was in glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling, which is known to down-regulate immune activity and inflammation by down-regulating NFκB (Pelaia, Vatrella et al. 2003). Indeed, NFκB was down-regulated in the alcohol group compared with the control group (Joosten, van Erk et al. 2012).
How does alcohol affect your immune system?
Thus, antibodies on the B-cell surface recognize and bind to antigens on the bacterial surface. This binding activates the B cells, which then differentiate into plasma cells that secrete large amounts of antibodies. The antibodies are distributed throughout the bloodstream and bind to the bacteria wherever they encounter them, aided by proteins of the complement system. The antibody-covered bacteria clump together and become new targets for monocytes and other phagocytes.
- Alcohol consumption also damages epithelial cells, T cells, and neutrophils in the GI system, disrupting gut barrier function and facilitating leakage of microbes into the circulation (see the article by Hammer and colleagues).
- For alcoholics, especially those who are indigent or homeless, several social and behavioral factors converge to increase their vulnerability to TB and to hinder their recovery from the disease.
- Studies in rodents found that chronic alcohol feeding can impair presentation of protein antigens in the spleen (Mikszta et al. 1995).
- 1The terms “alcoholism” and “alcoholic” as used in this article are summary terms for the diagnoses of alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
For example, depending on your level of alcohol use, quitting drinking may help resolve the first stage of alcohol liver disease. If you are drinking a lot, stopping or decreasing your alcohol use can also help your chances of not developing severe liver disease. Your immune system has several different cell types, each of which has a different but very important job to help keep you healthy.
