We all know that keeping our immune system strong during the COVID-19 pandemic is of the utmost importance. And now that vaccines are slowly but surely being released, it should still remain a priority, especially with regard to monitoring and even potentially reducing your alcohol intake if you have drunk too much.
Research has shown that excessive alcohol consumption – defined by the CDC as 4+ drinks for women and 5+ drinks for men during one occasion – can negatively impact your immune system. For example, a 2015 study published in the journal Alcohol found that a single episode of binge drinking increases inflammation in just a few hours and inhibits the body’s ability to regulate the immune system and effectively fight infections for days afterwards. Alcohol also puts more stress on the body, making it more difficult to recover from bad weather, experts say. (Speaking of which, here’s the biggest sign that you’re drinking too much alcohol, according to doctors.)
Perhaps that is why scientists around the world are being cautious about drinking before and after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine – a crucial time when your body is responding to the dose and building its defenses against the virus.
Last month, a health official in Russia instructed citizens not to drink for two weeks before and six weeks after receiving the country’s Sputnick V vaccine, Reuters reports. However, the real developer of the vaccine, Dr. Alexander Gintsburg, later tweeted to clarify that he believed that the recommendation was very extreme, and that recipients should not drink three days before and three days after being vaccinated (regardless of the type of vaccine). “A glass of champagne won’t hurt anyone, not even your immune system,” he also said. tweeted of the Sputnick V account on December 9th.
Meanwhile, in the UK, a health expert recommended that people limit their alcohol intake one day before and one day after vaccination, Business Insider reports.
However, experts here in the United States are singing a different melody. William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins University, said Business Insider, “There is no evidence that if you drink a beer or a glass of wine a few days after receiving the vaccine, it will interfere with your immune response or protection after the vaccine. When that point is so extreme, I I think it’s really harmful to public health. “
In other words, as long as you drink in moderation and consume less than what is considered heavy or excessive, you don’t have to worry excessively about your consumption before and after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
However, if you have been drinking a lot (more than one drink a day for women and more than two for men), you should consider reducing now – regardless of whether you are vaccinated or not. When you consider all these adverse effects of drinking a lot and regularly, you will see why changing your behavior can improve your health and well-being now and in the future.
For more information, read What happens to your body when you give up alcohol.