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HEALTH NEWS
How Alcohol Can Affect Your Immune System
Written by Julia Ries on April 22, 2020 — Fact checked by Dana K. Cassell
More people are drinking alcohol while in quarantine. Getty Images
A spike in alcohol sales has alarmed health experts and officials around the world.
Increased drinking can make people even more vulnerable to respiratory diseases like COVID-19.
Those who have any of the known risk factors for COVID-19, like diabetes or heart disease, should drink even less.
All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub and follow our live updates page for the most recent information on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alcohol has been flying off the shelves as people try to combat boredom during lockdown, with some reports estimating that alcoholic beverage sales surged by 55 percent toward the end of March.
The spike in alcohol sales has alarmed health experts and officials around the world, who are concerned that increased drinking could make people even more vulnerable to the respiratory disease.
The U.S. surgeon general warned at-risk adults to refrain from drinking. Soon after, the World Health Organization (WHO) also suggested that people cut back on drinking, since alcohol can increase the risk of experiencing complications from COVID-19.
“Alcohol consumption is associated with a range of communicable and noncommunicable diseases and mental health disorders, which can make a person more vulnerable to COVID-19. In particular, alcohol compromises the body’s immune system and increases the risk of adverse health outcomes,” the WHO stated.
Though there’s still limited data on the link between alcohol and COVID-19, past evidence shows alcohol consumption can worsen the outcomes from other respiratory illnesses by damaging the lungs and gut, and impairing the cells responsible for immune function.
“Research has shown that high doses of alcohol (around 14 drinks per week or more than five to six drinks at a time) does directly suppress the immune system, and that alcohol abuse is associated with increased risk of infectious diseases,” Mroszczyk-McDonald said.
That said, evidenceTrusted Source also shows that even smaller amounts of alcohol can affect the immune system.
Mroszczyk-McDonald advises against drinking more than a couple times a week, and only having two to three drinks at a time.
For those who have a risk factor for COVID-19, like heart disease or diabetes, he recommends drinking even less
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