Misconceptions from the media have led the majority of people to believe that drinking a glass of wine or beer during dinner surprisingly does wonders for your heart. That’s why people across the world stock up their shelves with bottles of alcohol to combat the cabin fever during this COVID-19 lockdown.
Not to mention, people often mistake that binge drinking alcohol when the pandemic is on the loose can protect them from the coronavirus. While it’s true that sipping select alcoholic beverages can benefit your health, going beyond your usual sip can do damage that goes beyond your liver.
With that in mind, a spike in alcohol consumption can leave individuals more susceptible to respiratory diseases like the coronavirus, and here’s why:
The Impact of Alcohol on the Immune System
Excessive alcohol drinking can take a toll on your liver and cardiovascular system. Still, even the occasional binge can have repercussions on your health as it impairs cells in key organs. For one, it disrupts the chemical signals within the white blood cells called cytokines.
The interruption causes either an autoimmune response when the levels are high or an immune system deficiency once the level drops. Also, alcohol can compromise normal T-cell function, which puts people at higher risk of getting a viral infection.
Even just binge drinking once in a blue moon can leave individuals open to illnesses within 24-hours of the initial consumption. Imagine what can happen to your health after chronic drinking.
Chronic Alcohol Consumption and Immunodeficiency
Binge drinking on an almost daily basis can have long-term, detrimental effects on your health more than you think. When you have more alcohol than the liver can process, your immunoglobulins will increase in the bloodstream, which is the start of an autoimmune response.
Also called antibodies, these immunoglobulins are beneficial proteins in the immune system that helps white B-cells and T-cells to identify and mark bacteria and viruses. However, chronic alcohol consumption can cause cells to target healthy cells in the body, causing a tidal wave of a self-destructive mode within the vital systems of the body.
On the other hand, too much alcohol can also lead to an inadequate immune response, which involves reduced production and levels of white blood cells. This leads people to become more vulnerable to illnesses, such as the following:
- Pneumonia
- Tuberculosis
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- Hepatitis B and C
- Septicemia
- Cancer
- Leaky Gut Syndrome
As for cancer, research shows the correlation between cancer and alcohol consumption is due to its effect on the specialized white cell called natural killer cells (NK). The primary purpose of NK cells is to identify and eliminate cancer cells in the body, but alcohol is believed to impair the function of NK cells.
In Conclusion: Alcohol Can Suppress Your Immune System and Increase Your Chances of Getting Sick
Drinking low-consumptions of alcohol is acceptable, but people often blur the lines, which is why many go overboard in drinking sessions. Fortunately, the damages to the immune system due to binge drinking is reversible. Stopping consumption and counter-balancing the effects with a better diet should improve your health.
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