CAN YOU STOMACH THAT? –
Jan. 7, 2026 – A single drinking binge — roughly four drinks for women or five for men within about two hours — can weaken the gut lining, making it less able to perform one of its core jobs: keeping bacteria and toxins from entering the bloodstream, a phenomenon known as “leaky gut.”
Now, investigators at Harvard and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have identified how binge drinking damages the gut, and why those leaks in the system may set off harmful inflammation long after the last drink is poured.
Led by first author Scott Minchenberg, a clinical fellow in gastroenterology and hepatology at BIDMC and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, the scientists examined how short bursts of high-dose alcohol affected different parts of the gut. Their findings suggested that even brief episodes of heavy drinking cause injury, calling in cells normally reserved for fighting invading germs to the lining of the gut.
Certain immune cells — neutrophils — can release web-like structures known as NETs that directly damage the upper small intestine and weaken its barrier, helping explain the leaky gut that can let bacterial toxins slip into the bloodstream.
