NO! There’s that in a nutshell. Drinking alcohol when you have a leaky gut isn’t a good idea at all. When a person has leaky gut syndrome the gut is already experiencing all sorts of damage that leads to digestive health and gastrointestinal health issues.
Alcohol consumption can damage the normal function of the intestinal tract in a couple of different ways. Alcohol reduces the level of key substances in the body called prostaglandins. This allows for inflammation to increase in uncontrollable ways. Even a little bit of alcohol can trigger this response but it is the heavy drinking that causes the real issue. Consuming alcohol also damages the body’s ability to get the nutrients from the food we eat and digest them in the small intestine. Here are a few more ways it can negatively affect your gut.
80 percent of the alcohol consumed is absorbed in the small intestine and only 20 percent of it is absorbed in the stomach. Alcohol increases the amount of acid in the stomach which will only add to the irritation and inflammation of the intestines. Many people are under the impression that it is only the liver that is affected by alcohol consumption but the negative effects take place in various areas of the gut.
Heavy alcohol consumption can alter the beneficial gut bacteria that are necessary for good gut health and proper digestion. Alcohol only exacerbates a leaky gut allowing even more bacteria and toxins to pass through the intestinal walls and into the bloodstream. It also causes damage to the mucus which is highly important for the gut. It is also believed that if a person is undergoing natural leaky gut treatment the consumption of alcohol will negatively impact the leaky gut antibiotics cancelling them out. Leaky gut probiotics are also negatively affected by the consumption of alcohol.
If you have a leaky gut it’s best to avoid any adult beverages until your gut is fully healed. Even when the gut is fully healed it is wise to limit the amount of alcohol consumption as to avoid any further future digestive and gastrointestinal issues. Natural leaky gut treatment is one of the best routes to take when treating a leaky gut. When in doubt check it out. Don’t hesitate to get digestive and gastrointestinal issues checked out. It’s better to be safe than it is to be sorry.
