Friday Q&A: alcohol and gut health; new COVID guidelines; anxiety about medications; & teens with eating issues

TGIF 🥳

ICYMI 👉

• A Surprising Fix for Weight Gain, Digestive Woes & Skeletal Pain

• Are You Getting Enough Rest?

• Five Tricks for Aging Gracefully

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The first question (on alcohol and gut health) is free for all subscribers. Questions 2-4 (new COVID guidelines; anxiety about medications; & teens and eating issues) are for paid subscribers only. If you would like a paid subscription but it’s not in your budget, please message me directly.

Click here to submit your questions (about anything) for future Q&A posts!

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are entirely my own. They do not reflect those of my employer, nor are they a substitute for advice from your personal physician.

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QUESTION #1: ALCOHOL AND GUT HEALTH

I read an article this week about alcohol’s effect on the gut microbiome. I hear the microbiome is important for our immune system and basically everything. Is this something else I need to worry about? (I tried your dry November and it was hard!) Thanks for your thoughts.

-Tyra

Hi Tyra, 

My short answer to your question: There’s probably no amount of alcohol that is good for our gut and its microbiome (i.e., the mix of critters that populate our gastrointestinal tract and keep us healthy).

My longer answer: This week’s NYT piece, “How Does Alcohol Affect the Gut Microbiome?” doesn’t tell us much that is new. We know that alcohol can cause or exacerbate myriad digestive problems including heartburn, acid reflux, stomach ulcers, esophagitis, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, pancreatitis, hepatitis, hemorrhoids, colon cancer risk—and the list goes on.

Do I think it’s likely that alcohol disrupts the gut microbiome? Absolutely. Water is also wet. 😆 But this article doesn’t help us conclude anything. How so? The studies cited are observational and therefore do not prove causation, only correlation. In other words, just because a non-drinker may have a “healthier” microbiome compared to someone who consumed alcohol doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the absence of alcohol as the reason for the healthier gut. Recall that people who don’t drink can have other habits that promote a healthy gut—other than simply not drinking booze.

The upshot? If you’re looking for improved sleep, mood stability, weight control, blood pressure, blood sugar, and gut health—plus the allure of a healthier microbiome—it might be a good idea to rethink how much you drink. Cheers!

Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

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QUESTION #2: NEW COVID GUIDELINES

What do you make of the new COVID guidelines saying we don’t need to isolate for 5 days (or 10!) any longer?

-Daisy L.

Dear Daisy,