How much alcohol you have to drink before it weakens your immune system


The immune system is how your body defends itself against infections, such as harmful bacteria and viruses, and keeps you from becoming ill. However, just like a muscle, the immune system can deteriorate and fail to protect you from infection.


Being active, eating a well-balanced diet, and getting enough sleep are all good ways to keep your immune system in good shape. However, unhealthy factors such as stress, smoking, or drinking alcohol can tax your immune system and make it more difficult for it to fight infection.


Here's what you need to know about the effects of alcohol on your immune system.

Excessive alcohol consumption depletes the immune system.

According to the Mayo Clinic, excessive alcohol consumption weakens the immune system and makes you more susceptible to illness. Excessive drinking is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as:

  • Heavy drinking is defined as eight or more drinks per week for women and 15 or more drinks per week for men.

  • Binge drinking: for women, four or more drinks in two to three hours; for men, five or more drinks in the same time period.

  • consuming alcohol while pregnant or under the legal drinking age of 21

Alcohol changes the composition of your gut microbiome, which is home to trillions of microorganisms that play a variety of critical roles in your health and impairs those microorganisms' ability to support your immune system. It appears that alcohol consumption may also harm the immune cells that line the intestines and act as the first line of defense against bacteria and viruses.


"It can make it easier for pathogens to cross into your bloodstream by damaging those cells in your intestines," says Nate Favini, MD, medical lead at Forward, a preventive primary care practice. That is, excessive drinking weakens your body's defense mechanisms against a cold, virus, or other bacterial or viral infections.


And it's not just that you're more likely to catch a cold if you drink too much; it's also linked to pneumonia and other pulmonary diseases. It can also cause a variety of health issues, such as high blood pressure and heart disease, liver disease, and an increased risk of cancer.


"Drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time — like binge drinking — can be harmful to your health and immune system," says Favini.


A 2015 study published in the journal Alcohol discovered that binge drinking can reduce infection-fighting white blood cells known as monocytes in the hours following peak intoxication, essentially weakening your immune system.

Moderate alcohol consumption may not weaken the immune system, but you should exercise caution.

According to Favini, moderate drinking — one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men, according to the United States Dietary Guidelines for Americans — is generally safe for people in good health and unlikely to harm their immune systems.


"Anything above that, regardless of the time period," says Favini, "is exposing your body to more alcohol than is ideal."


Furthermore, the Dietary Guidelines state that some people should not drink at all. People who are pregnant, have an alcohol abuse disorder, or are taking medications that interact with alcohol are included. Alcohol is also problematic in certain conditions, according to Favini.


"Anyone with chronic liver conditions should avoid alcohol, such as people with hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, liver inflammation, and any condition that could affect liver function," says Favini.


Overall, if you want to keep your immune system in good shape, avoid drinking more than moderate amounts, according to Favini. Also, if you feel like you're getting sick or if you're about to get sick, don't drink. Not only will drinking alcohol weaken your immune system, but it will also dehydrate you.


"When you're feeling run down or like you're going to get sick, you want to be well hydrated so that all of the cells in your body have enough fluid in them and can work really well," Favini says. "When you're fighting an infection, you don't want to be dehydrated."


Related:  5 easy ways to curb drinking alcohol

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