JUST ONE DRINKING BINGE CAN LEAVE YOU WITH PERMANENT DAMAGE - PARTICULARLY IF YOU ARE A WOMAN

New research shows that binge drinking causes bacteria to leak from the gut, raising levels of toxins in the blood.   The researchers, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, say these toxins cause the body to produce immune cells involved in fever, inflammation and tissue destruction.

 

‘We found that a single alcohol binge can elicit an immune response, potentially impacting the health of an otherwise healthy individual,’ said lead author Gyongyi Szabo, a professor of medicine at the university.

 

Our observations suggest that an alcohol binge is more dangerous than previously thought.’  Binge drinking is defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) as drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08g/dL or above.  For a typical adult, this is equivalent to consuming five or more drinks for men, or four or more drinks for women, in about two hours, depending on body weight.

 

Binge drinking is known to be dangerous in the short term because it increases the risk of injury.  Over the long term, binge drinking is also known to damage the liver and other organs.  But the new research provides key evidence that a single alcohol binge can also cause damage to health.

 

To assess the impact of binge drinking, 11 men and 14 women were given enough alcohol to raise their blood alcohol levels to at least .08 g/dL within an hour. Blood samples were then taken every 30 minutes for four hours after and again 24 hours later.  Dr Szabo and colleagues found that the alcohol binge resulted in a rapid increase in endotoxin levels in the blood.   Endotoxins are toxins contained in the cell wall of certain bacteria that are released when the cell is destroyed.

 

They also found evidence of bacterial DNA in the bloodstream, showing that bacteria had permeated the gut. Compared to men, women had higher blood alcohol levels and circulating endotoxin levels. 

 

Earlier studies have tied chronic alcohol use to increased gut permeability, meaning potentially harmful products can travel through the intestinal wall and be carried to other parts of the body.  

 

Greater gut permeability and increased endotoxin levels have been linked to many of the health issues related to chronic drinking, including alcoholic liver disease.

 

Source

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2630316/Just-ONE-binge-drinking-session-damage-health-potentially-life.html 

 

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