Recent research suggests that youth binge drinking is linked to changes in the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome refers to the collection of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that live in the gastrointestinal tract. The changes are associated with impaired emotional recognition and alcohol cravings. A new study finds that youth binge drinkers have altered gut microbiomes.
Researchers from APC Microbiome Ireland, a world-leading SFI Research Center based at University College Cork (UCC), discovered that changes in the gut microbiome, microorganisms that live in the human digestive system and affect health, are linked to the common practice of binge drinking in young people.
The study found that changes in the microbiome were linked to a poor ability to recognize emotions and a desire to consume alcohol. The findings, which were published in The Lancet eBioMedicine, add to evidence that the gut microbiome appears to regulate brain and emotional functioning.
This study shows that the most common pattern of alcohol misuse during early adulthood is associated with changes in the gut microbiome, even before an addiction develops. It also emphasizes the importance of the gut microbiome in controlling craving, social cognition, and emotional functioning.
Professor John Cryan
1 in 3 young Europeans frequently binge drink
Binge drinking is the most common pattern of alcohol misuse during adolescence in Western counties. One in three young Europeans engage in frequent binge drinking. In Ireland, 60% of 18- to 24-year-olds report binge drinking on a monthly basis. Binge drinking is associated with increased risk of developing alcohol use disorder and experiencing cognitive alterations which may persist into adulthood.
The results showed that binge drinking was associated with changes in the relative abundance of several bacterial species, including a decrease in Bacteroides and an increase in Prevotella. These changes were also associated with alterations in the expression of genes related to metabolism and inflammation.
The study’s authors suggest that the changes in the gut microbiome could be related to the negative health consequences of binge drinking, such as liver disease and inflammation. However, further research is needed to better understand the relationship between alcohol consumption, the gut microbiome, and overall health.
Alcohol and gut health
The study, which included 71 young people, looked into the relationship between the gut microbiome and social cognition, impulsivity, and craving in young binge drinkers. Binge drinking was linked to specific microbiome changes and emotional recognition difficulties. Several microbiome species were found to be associated with emotional processing and impulsivity.
Researchers discovered a strong relationship between cravings and changes in microbiome composition and neuroactive potential over time. These findings could aid in the development of novel dietary or pre/probiotic interventions aimed at improving early alcohol-related microbiota and cognitive alterations in young drinkers during adolescent vulnerability.
The research was led by Dr. Carina Carbia, a postdoctoral fellow funded under the APC’s EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship programme (APEX) in the laboratory of Professor John Cryan and Professor Ted Dinan at APC Microbiome Ireland.
The gut microbiome regulates social and emotional cognition
The study builds on growing evidence in animal models that the microbiome is an important regulator of social and emotional cognition and extends it to human subjects.
Dr. Carbia, the study’s lead author, stated: “We identified gut microbiome changes linked to binge drinking in young people by focusing on young adults at a critical time in both brain and gut-immune development. The microbiome composition was associated with social cognition and impulsivity, adding to the growing evidence that the gut microbiome plays an important role in brain and behavior. Changes in gut microbiome composition and neuroactive potential were linked to increased craving over time, making them promising candidates for early biomarkers of addiction.”
Professor John Cryan, Vice President for Research and Innovation at UCC, Principal Investigator at APC Microbiome Ireland, and senior author of the study: “This study shows that the most common pattern of alcohol misuse during early adulthood is associated with changes in the gut microbiome, even before an addiction develops. It also emphasizes the importance of the gut microbiome in controlling craving, social cognition, and emotional functioning. The findings lend support to the development of microbiota-targeted diets or interventions to positively modulate gut-brain communication during this vulnerable period of adolescence prior to the development of addiction.”
