The interaction between smoking, alcohol and the gut microbiome
Abstract
The gastrointestinal microbiome is a complex echosystem that establishes a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relation with the host, being rather stable in health, but affected by age, drugs, diet, alcohol, and smoking. Alcohol and smoking contribute to changes in the stomach and affect H pylori-related disorders including the risk of gastric cancer. In the small intestine and in the colon alcohol causes depletion of bacteria with anti-inflammatory activity, eventually resulting in intestinal damage with "leaky gut". These changes contribute to hepatic damage in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease and have been associated with other disorders. Lactobacillus GG and A. muciniphila exert a protective effect in this setting. Smoking leads to modifications of the gut microbiome linked with a protective effect toward ulcerative colitis and deleterious for Crohn's disease. The exact cause-effect relation between alcohol and smoking and changes of the gastrointestinal microbiome needs further exploration with high throughput methodologies, and controlled studies are necessary to define the role of microbiome modulation on the immune response and systemic activation of pro-inflammatory pathways.
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BLS outperforms SEPP on many variables, including several linked to gut microbe diversity and human health.
“We observed that BLS outperforms SEPP on many variables, including several that have been linked to gut microbe diversity and human health25,39–42.”
From Improving microbial phylogeny with citizen science within a mass-market video game (2025) · cites this paper as [41]
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Self-citationImproving microbial phylogeny with citizen science within a mass-market video game
Sarrazin-Gendron, R., Ghasemloo Gheidari, P., Butyaev, A., Keding, T., Cai, E., Zheng, J., Mutalova, R., Mounthanyvong, J., Zhu, Y., Nazarova, E., et al. (2025) · Nature Biotechnology · doi:10.1038/s41587-024-02175-6 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- Capurso, G., & Lahner, E.
- Affiliations
- Azienda Ospedaliera Sant'Andrea (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Capurso, Gabriele
- Venue
- Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-10
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 579-588
- ISSN
- 1521-6918 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2766502952
- Cited by
- 182
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 13
- FWCI
- 1.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- IRIS Research product catalog (Sapienza University of Rome) (submittedVersion)
- Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca - Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Helicobacter pylori-related gastroenterology studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
- Keywords
- gut microbiota, smoking, alcohol consumption, Helicobacter pylori, gastric cancer, leaky gut, intestinal barrier, alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic liver disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, Akkermansia muciniphila, pro-inflammatory pathways, immune response
- MeSH terms
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Alcohol Drinking, Humans, Smoking
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