Impact of drinking alcohol on gut microbiota: recent perspectives on ethanol and alcoholic beverage

Excessive alcohol intake is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Perspective of alcohol-associated disease development is shifting, from the traditional aspect of direct tissue damage by alcohol and its metabolites, to gut microbe involvement. It has been shown that alcohol not only changes the gut environment, but also modulates the composition of gut microbiota and is associated in the development of alcohol-associated diseases. Alcohol is consumed in the form of ethanol in alcoholic beverages. However, literature is limited on the effects of alcoholic beverages on gut microbiota and alcohol-induced injury. In this review, we aim to clarify the influence of gut microbiota and their relationship with alcoholic beverages in addition to direct damage from ethanol.