Study shows single binge drinking session can trigger gut damage

New Delhi: Even a single drinking binge -- roughly four drinks for women or five for men within about two hours -- can weaken the gut lining, according to a study.

The study showed that a single session of binge drinking can decrease the gut’s ability to keep bacteria and toxins from entering the bloodstream -- a phenomenon known as “leaky gut.” The findings are published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research.

“We know that excessive drinking can disrupt the gut and expose the liver to harmful bacterial products, but surprisingly little was known about how the upper intestine responds in the earliest stages,” said corresponding author Gyongyi Szabo, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.