6 Ways Alcohol Can Affect Your Gut

When we published an article last year about the various ways alcohol might change your gut microbiome, the reader response was overwhelming.

One person said that after quitting alcohol, digestive issues practically vanished. Others said that curtailing their drinking helped with bloating, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome and more.

That’s not surprising, said Dr. Morgan Sendzischew Shane, a gastroenterologist at the University of Miami Health System. Some people may notice gut discomfort after a single drink, she said, while others may not be aware of a connection at all. But alcohol can have many negative consequences for the digestive system — from short-term symptoms to longer-term health risks.

Here are six effects alcohol can have on your gut.

1. Acid Reflux

Drinking alcohol causes the muscles in your body to relax, including the muscular valve that seals off your stomach from your esophagus. That can make the valve open more than it should, Dr. Shane said, allowing stomach acid to escape into your esophagus. This can cause heartburn, pain and other symptoms of reflux.

Acidic alcoholic beverages (like wine and cider) and carbonated ones (like beer and some cocktails) can worsen reflux symptoms, said Dr. Cynthia Hsu, a gastroenterologist and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego.

2. Inflammation and Bleeding

Even one night of heavy drinking may cause your stomach lining to become inflamed, leading to symptoms like nausea, stomach pain or discomfort for a day or two, Dr. Shane said. That inflammation is temporary and can heal quickly — kind of like when a burn on the roof of your mouth from eating hot food heals within a few days, Dr. Shane said.

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