GLOBAL – Experts suggest there is limited evidence linking alcohol consumption around the time of eating contaminated food to slightly reduced likelihood of food poisoning. However, they also caution that alcohol could potentially increase the intestine’s susceptibility to infections.
Donald Schaffner, a professor of food science at Rutgers University, explained that studies support the theory that alcohol may disrupt pathogens in the gut before they cause illness.
He further noted that alcohol can kill bacteria and inactivate some viruses, which is why it’s used in hand sanitizers and surface disinfectants. However, he advised taking these findings “with a serious grain of salt.”
A trending video shows a woman taking a shot of alcohol after a meal she feared may have given her food poisoning. She cited a study suggesting alcohol acts as a sterilizer and could help protect against food-borne illnesses.
A 2002 study referenced in the video investigated a salmonella outbreak at a banquet in Spain. After consuming contaminated tuna sandwiches and potato salad, at least 47 people developed symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, and headaches.
The study found that those who drank three or more alcoholic beverages were 46% less likely to fall ill, and those who had up to three drinks were 27% less likely to develop symptoms compared to non-drinkers.
Similarly, a 1992 study on a hepatitis A outbreak in Florida linked to raw oysters found that individuals who drank wine, whiskey, or cocktails with the oysters were 90% less likely to become ill than those who didn’t consume alcohol. Beer drinkers, however, did not seem to have the same protection, possibly due to beer’s lower alcohol content.
While these studies support the idea that alcohol may interfere with pathogens in the gut, Schaffner pointed out that some non-drinkers in the studies may have been abstaining for health reasons, which could explain their higher susceptibility to food poisoning.
However, the drawback of these studies is that researchers have not directly tested the impact of alcohol on food poisoning risk in controlled clinical trials, said Dr. Moore.
In one hepatitis E outbreak among 33 people who ate contaminated shellfish on a cruise, researchers reached a different conclusion: only those who drank alcohol became infected, while abstainers remained healthy.
According to Craig Hedberg, an epidemiologist and food safety expert at the University of Minnesota, the risk of getting sick from contaminated food depends on several factors, including a person’s health, the amount of pathogen present, the type of food, and how much was consumed.
