The liver isn’t anywhere close to being the only organ damaged by alcohol. It atrophies the brain, threatens every part of the digestive tract, and as previous Sobriety :60s noted, it is a menace to heart health.
A relatively new region of study is how alcohol use impacts lung health.
Heavy drinkers are at a much greater risk of developing lung problems, like pneumonia and life-threatening acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), according to new research from Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University. Researchers suspect those with the disease of alcoholism are more susceptible to these lung diseases because the immune system in the lung is no longer strong enough to protect from infection and damage, the June, 2014 report concludes (see related article).
Similar to how alcohol begins to destroy the liver, researchers discovered that one of the keys to immune system failure in the lung is a build-up of fat. “We call it the alcoholic fatty lung,” says lead researcher Ross Summer, M.D. “The fat accumulation in the lungs mimics the process that causes fat to build up and destroy the liver of alcoholics.” The unique finding offers the possibility of a new treatment.
When people drink, liver cells begin to produce fat, possibly as a defense mechanism against the toxicity of the alcohol or because the body fuels itself on alcohol calories rather than fats. Over extended and frequent alcohol exposure, the fat accumulates and heavy drinkers develop “fatty liver disease.” The fat impairs liver function but can also cause scarring that eventually leads to liver failure.
The lungs also contain cells that make fat to coat the inner lining of the lung to keep the airways properly lubricated during breathing. Dr. Summer and colleagues explored whether these cells might behave in a similar way to liver cells after extended alcohol exposure by also accumulating fat.
After extended exposure to alcohol in rats, the researchers noticed that lung’s fat-secreting cells doubled their production of triglycerides (a cholesterol) and increased free fatty acids by 300 percent.
Other facts to consider:
- Heavy use of alcohol, even without smoking, has been shown to increase death from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD.
- Heavy use of alcohol, along with smoking, is more dangerous for COPD than alcohol or smoking alone. “Drinking alcohol suppresses an enzyme called glutathione that helps protect your lungs from tobacco smoke,” according to Bohdan Pichurko, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic.
Here’s another related thought: If you have COPD, don’t be a FOOL. The most important step you can take is to stop smoking. If drinking alcohol makes it harder for you to quit, quit both. You might be a bear to live with for a bit, but at least you’ll live.