The Medical and Microbiological Consequences of Alcohol Abuse
By Jason Tetro
Posted 05.20.2014 at 3:18 pm
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Whenever inflammation is suspected as a cause of long-term medical consequences, the microbiome must be taken into consideration. However, until recently, little has been done to find any links between the nature of the microbiota and the onset and/or progression of disease. One of the few meaningful studies to show any links was published in 2012 when an American team of researchers found chronic alcohol consumption led to changes in the nature of the bacteria in the colon. Yet how this change happened and how it impacted health was left unanswered.
However, in the last few weeks, two important papers have been published to highlight how bacteria contribute to the overall effects of alcoholism. The first deals with the interactions between the host and the microbiome during alcoholic liver disease. The other reveals the effects on the microbiome and body as a result of only one binge drinking event. ...
