Binge drinking triggers gut damage, finds new study - Harvard Gazette

"The findings are published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. Led by first author Scott Minchenberg, a clinical fellow in gastroenterology and hepatology at BIDMC and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, the scientists examined how short bursts of high-dose alcohol affected different parts of the gut. Their findings suggested that even brief episodes of heavy drinking cause injury, calling in cells normally reserved for fighting invading germs to the lining of the gut."

"Certain immune cells - neutrophils - can release web-like structures known as NETs that directly damage the upper small intestine and weaken its barrier, helping explain the leaky gut that can let bacterial toxins slip into the bloodstream. When the researchers blocked the NETs using a simple enzyme to break them down, they observed a reduced number of immune cells in the gut lining and less bacterial leakage; that is, the enzyme prevented gut damage."

A single drinking binge—about four drinks for women or five for men within roughly two hours—weakens the gut lining and impairs its barrier function against bacteria and toxins. Short bursts of high-dose alcohol injure the upper small intestine and attract neutrophils that release web-like neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs directly damage the intestinal lining and increase permeability, producing a leaky gut that permits bacterial toxins to enter the bloodstream. Enzymatic breakdown of NETs reduces immune-cell infiltration and bacterial leakage, preventing gut damage. NET-mediated barrier disruption can trigger harmful inflammation that persists after alcohol exposure ends.

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