Alcohol and Airways Function in Health and Disease
The trillions of microbes in your colon and large and small intestines are critical to proper digestion. That’s because your body already has processes in place that allow it to store excess proteins, carbohydrates and fats. So, your system prioritizes getting rid of alcohol before it can turn its attention to its other work.
To supplement the various anecdotal reports of using alcohol in the treatment of airway diseases, early mechanistic investigations demonstrated that alcohol itself seems to have bronchodilating properties in asthmatics. However, the effects differed depending on the alcohol concentration used as well as on the route of administration (i.e., intravenous versus oral) (Ayres and Clark 1983b; Ayres et al. 1982; Brown 1947; Herxheimer and Stresemann 1963). Moreover, these observations directly conflict with findings that many asthmatics actually report exacerbations of their disease after alcohol ingestion (Ayres and Clark 1983a; Breslin et al. 1973; Vally et al. 2000). In an attempt to explain some of these discrepancies, Breslin and colleagues (1973) compared the effects of exposure to different types of alcohol in a clinical study.
Impaired secretion of granulocyte monocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) by type II alveolar cells likely also contributes to alcohol-induced oxidative stress (Joshi et al. 2005). Pneumococcal pneumonia, caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, is the most common type of pneumonia in both healthy individuals and heavy alcohol users (Ruiz et al. 1999). In addition, the incidence of infections with Klebsiella pneumoniae also is increased in people with AUD and seems to cause disproportionate rates of lung infection and high mortality in this population (Feldman et al. 1990; Limson et al. 1956). The alveolar macrophages eliminate pathogens by ingesting them—a process known as phagocytosis—whereas neutrophils are involved in inflammatory responses.
Types of T Cells
The most susceptible individuals are Asians who have greatly reduced function of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform 2 (ALDH 2) and can be identified through genetic testing and/or ethanol challenge testing (Matsuse et al., 2001). About half of Japanese have inadequate ALDH2 activity and cannot effectively metabolize acetaldehyde. This results in facial flushing, wheezing and other undesirable side effects following the ingestion of modest amounts of alcohol (Gong et al., 1981). Bronchospasm following alcohol ingestion is well described in asthmatics of Japanese descent (Watanabe, 1991) and is closely linked to the ALDH2 genotype (Shimoda et al., 1996). Alcohol dependence, which can be even more severe in chronic alcoholics, can cause serious withdrawal symptoms that are challenging to manage in a home environment. ARDS develops as a response to severe inflammation and other lung-related damage that can be caused by excessive alcohol.
What Does Alcohol Do to Your Body? 9 Ways Alcohol Affects Your Health
This role is further supported by findings that restoration of zinc bioavailability in the alveolar space also restores the phagocytic capacity of alveolar macrophages (Joshi et al. 2009). The volatility of alcohol promotes the movement of alcohol from the bronchial circulation across the airway epithelium and into the conducting airways of the lung. The exposure of the airways through this route likely accounts for many of the biologic effects of alcohol on lung airway functions. The impact of alcohol on lung airway functions is dependent on the concentration, duration and route of exposure. Brief exposure to mild concentrations of alcohol may enhance mucociliary clearance, stimulates bronchodilation and probably attenuates the airway inflammation and injury observed in asthma and COPD.
How Alcohol Affects Your Lungs: Binge Drinking May Lead To Breathing Problems
The same study found that people diagnosed with COPD, as well as other cardiovascular disorders, aren’t as likely to give up drinking because of the diagnosis. Of those 15 million, 39 percent still smoke, despite the obvious relationship between smoking and lung diseases. And there are other medications you might be taking, like antihistamines or antianxiety medications, that make you sleepy. Alcohol will only add to that, making you even more drowsy, and that could make it harder for you to breathe.
What Are the Effects of Alcohol on the Body?
This report suggested that pure alcohol, when administered intravenously and, in the absence of any other ingredients, acted as a bronchodilator and could be used as a treatment of asthma. A later report noted that asthmatics cleared intravenous alcohol from the bloodstream significantly faster than controls (Sotaniemi et al., 1972) and was confirmed by a subsequent report (Korri and Salaspuro, 1988). They speculated that the difference in alcohol clearance was likely related to concomitant medication use or hypoxia and hypercapnea which can cause micosomal enzyme induction in the liver of the asthmatic patients that increased alcohol metabolism.
- Animal studies have shown that chronic alcohol exposure causes significant alveolar macrophage dysfunction, leaving these normally active immune cells poorly equipped to phagocytose or kill invading organisms (Brown et al. 2009; Joshi et al. 2009).
- Having low levels of glutathione in the body as a result of alcohol use can make the lungs more susceptible to injury after being exposed to bacteria.
- Noteworthy in this small study was the high incidence of airflow obstruction in women (77%).
- According to research, pneumonia is more likely to be serious and even deadly in people who use alcohol.
- The term asthma likely encompassed any number of chest ailments in ancient Egypt where beer and wine were prescribed for chest tightness with apparent relief of asthma symptoms (Ayres, 1987).
- Compliance, tissue damping, and tissue elastance were not significantly affected by chronic + binge ethanol exposure.
However, one 2015 study found that light to moderate drinking (between 1 and 60 drinks a month) did not seem to steve harwell alcohol make COPD worse or cause more health problems related to COPD. But the researchers weren’t able to say what the effect of heavy drinking (more than 60 drinks per month) was on COPD, since there weren’t enough heavy drinkers in the study. It’s not like someone is telling people to drink or not drink, says MeiLan K. Han, MD, professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System. The kind of study she’s referring to, called a randomized, controlled trial, is much better at showing whether one particular thing — in this case, alcohol — can have a good or bad effect on your health. Those are the kind of studies experts use to approve medications and make treatment recommendations. Mice were housed in a pathogen-free barrier facility accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, and procedures were approved by the University of Louisville’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
These include prominent roles for the second messengers calcium and nitric oxide, regulatory kinases including PKG and PKA, alcohol and aldehyde -metabolizing enzymes such as ALDH2. The role alcohol may play in the biology of airway mucus, bronchial blood flow, airway smooth muscle regulation and the interaction with other airway exposure agents, such as cigarette smoke, represent opportunities for future investigation. The first large population study that examined the relationship of alcohol consumption to airway obstruction was a cross-sectional analysis published by Cohen in 1980 (Cohen et al., 1980). This study used data from a cohort of 2,539 community dwelling adults that quantified alcohol intake, smoking, diet and other health factors and measured FEV1 on spirometry. Although unadjusted values indicated obstruction in heavy drinkers compared to light drinkers, the difference disappeared when adjustment was made for cigarette smoking, socioeconomic status, male sex and age.
These are all signs of alcohol intolerance, which can potentially make your COPD symptoms worse. 2 Surfactant is a lipoprotein complex produced by alveolar cells that covers alveoli and helps ensure proper lung function. But there’s plenty of research to back up the notion that alcohol does lead to weight gain in general. Steatotic liver disease develops in about 90% of people who drink more than 1.5 to 2 ounces of alcohol per day. People who drink heavily over a long period of time are also more likely to develop pneumonia or tuberculosis than the general population.