DRINKING IMPROVES IMMUNE SYSTEM

20 December 2013

NEW YORK - Several studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption -- such as a glass of wine with dinner -- does improve cardiovascular function and overall health. Now, add the immune system to that list because a new study claims that moderate alcohol consumption boosts the body's immune system and helps it fight infections, also improving its ability to respond to vaccines. 

For their study, researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University picked the rhesus macaques, one of the best-known species of old world monkeys whose immune system is very similar to humans. 

The researchers trained a group of 12 monkeys to consume alcohol -- a 4 percent ethanol mixture out of their own accord. 

Then they vaccinated the monkeys against small pox and separated the animals into two groups, those with access to the 4 percent ethanol and those with access to sugar water and like humans, rhesus macaques showed highly variable drinking behavior; some drank large volumes of ethanol, while others drank in moderation. 

The monkeys' voluntary ethanol consumption segregated them into two groups -- heavy drinkers and moderate drinkers and the two groups responded in very different ways to the vaccination. The heavy drinkers showed greatly diminished vaccine responses compared with the control group of monkeys who drank the sugar water. But, interestingly, the moderate-drinking monkeys displayed enhanced responses to the vaccine compared to the control group. 

Senior researcher Kathy Grant said, “It seems that some of the benefits that we know of from moderate drinking might be related in some way to our immune system being boosted by that alcohol consumption." 

On the contrary, if you have a family history of alcohol abuse, or are at risk, or have been an abuser in the past, it is not recommended for you go out and drink to improve your immune system. 

Don't forget to share with your friends and colleagues

You can leave your comments below, in the Comment Section. We like to have a healthy debate here. Please avoid profanity, personal attacks and rouse racial and religious sensitivity. The views of the commentators are not shared by Both Coin. The bottomline is, comment sensibly with relevance to the article.