Nutrition and microbiome can play key role in tackling alcohol addiction, experts reveal

12 Jul 2022 --- The microbiome can play a key role in alcohol addiction, according to a team of researchers spotlighting the importance of the “microbiota-gut-brain axis.” Presenting their findings at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies in Paris, the scientists delve into research surrounding alterations in gut microbiota and their link with psychiatric disorders, including addiction.

“Nutrition is underestimated as a key factor in this,” Nathalie Delzenne, president, Louvain Drug Research Institute, UCLouvain, tells NutritionInsight.

Though these findings may not offer a silver bullet against alcohol abuse and drug addictions, Delzenne explains that “some bacteria are synthesizing vitamin B; quite useful also as endogenous providers of vitamins lacking in patients with alcohol use disorder.”

“The fact that some microbes are lacking – playing a role as anti-inflammatory bacteria – or are producing metabolites involved in intestinal barrier integrity creates a vicious cycle, where inflammation drives metabolic and behavioral alterations.”

According to Delzenne, this means that “in nutritional advice, we have to promote dietary fibers prone to interact with the gut microbiome in order to promote helpful gut microbiota functions,” Delzenne stresses.

Alcohol altering microbiome?The researchers will present their findings which link gut microbiome composition to alcohol abuse.
The four experts presenting their findings, have found that the gut microbiome and its composition may have a direct effect on individual propensity toward alcohol abuse and can create a feedback loop in some people.

“I think that alcohol itself may alter the gut microbiome in some patients more than in others,” says Delzenne. “A duality is seen in the cohort of alcohol-dependent patients.” 

“We have made one trial of intervention with inulin as a dietary fiber during the alcohol withdrawal period,” she says. She further notes that it did not cause “massive” effects on behavior, but it did increase sociability during the withdrawal time.”

Dissecting the gut-brain axis
The presenters will focus on four main areas of addiction and research. Delzenne’s research details the effects of gut microbiota of patients with alcohol abuse disorders into mice. She was able to demonstrate the link between gut flora and alcohol addiction.    

“In patients presenting a dysbiosis – meaning alterations of the gut microbiome linked to depression, lack of sociability, etc. –  are characterized by a decrease in certain bacteria that produce butyrate, a decrease in anti-inflammatory bacteria like F. prausnitzii or a decrease in bacteria playing a role in the management of the immune system, like bifidobacterium,” explains Delzenne.

She also notes that butyrate is a metabolite that improves gut functionality. Moreover, it has been shown to correct gut microbiome imbalances caused by ALS which helped to improve neuromuscular functions and extended the lifespans of mice that had the disease. 

Additionally, abundant F. prausnitzii was recently shown to lessen the severity of COVID-19 infections and has recently been used in probiotic products targeting the lungs and other metabolic diseases like diabetes. One of the researchers transplanted gut flora from patients with alcohol use disorder into mice, who then also became addicted.

Impact on binge drinking
Presenting her findings at the panel, Dr. Carina Carbina explores the connection between the gut-brain axis and adolescent binge drinking, She has identified new biomarkers within the gut that may predict alcohol cravings before addiction starts. Her work also highlights the gut connection to emotional stress and impulsivity. 

Dr. Benjamin Boutrel’s research links gut microbiota composition to behaviors associated with some of the most severe forms of addiction. Dr. Lorenzo Leggio will present his findings on how the microbiome interacts with addictive neuropathways. 

For instance, he and his team found that ghrelin, often called the “hunger hormone,” may play a significant role in drug and alcohol addiction. Low levels of ghrelin have also been linked to diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

By William Bradford Nichols