Effects of Ethanol on Intestinal Permeability and Integrity

The Effect of Ethanol on Intestinal Permeability and Integrity in Healthy Individuals

Alcohol consumption is a major health problem worldwide. It affects all systems of the body especially the gastrointestinal tract. Acute or chronic alcohol consumption has deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal mucosa vary from increased intestinal permeability, structural changes to sever destruction of the epithelial lining cells. Human data are still limited and most of the studies were performed in chronic alcohol abusers.

The investigators hypothesize that moderate alcohol drinking also may increase small intestinal permeability and contribute to the subsequent disruption of the tight junction complex. This study may provide more insight into the effects of moderate alcohol drinking on the small intestinal permeability.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Signed informed consent form.
• Male gender to avoid the gender-related differences in ethanol metabolism.
• Between 18-45 years to avoid age-related changes in ethanol metabolism39.
• Normal medical history and physical examination.
• Normal liver function tests (i.e. ALT, AST, and γGT) according to the reference values for normal ranges of the liver enzymes at the laboratory of clinical chemistry of the Maastricht University Medical Center.
• Caucasian ethnicity.
• BMI=18 - 30 kg/m2.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of gastro-intestinal disorders or abdominal surgery.
• History of alcohol abuse or current excessive alcohol consumption (> 2 alcoholic beverages per day or > 14 alcoholic beverages per week)40.
• Recent or chronic medications that may interact with ethanol metabolism or intestinal permeability i.e., NSAIDs, benzodiazepines and antidepressants.
• Smoking.