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Binge Drink via Shutterstock

This is what happens to your body when you binge drink

Fever, inflammation, tissue destruction…the list goes on.

THIS WEEK, WE discovered that Ireland has the second highest rate of binge drinking in the world.

But what does that mean for our bodies?

Another study published on Thursday highlighted the impact just one session of heavy alcohol intake can have.

The lead doctor of the project concluded:

Our observations suggest that an alcohol binge is more dangerous than previously thought.

According to the scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, just a single episode of binge drinking can have “significant negative health effects”.

It can lead to bacteria leaking from the gut, resulting in increased levels of endotoxins in the blood.

Both gut permeability and increased endotoxin levels have been linked to many of the health issues related to chronic drinking, including alcoholic liver disease.

Published online in PLOS ONE, the study also showed that these bacterial toxins caused the body to produce immune cells involved in fever, inflammation, and tissue destruction.

“We found that a single alcohol binge can elicit an immune response, potentially impacting the health of an otherwise healthy individual,” said author Gyongyi Szabo, professor of medicine, vice chair of the Department of Medicine and associate dean for clinical and translational sciences at UMMS.

For a typical adult, a binge drinking session involves the intake of more than four to six standard alcoholic drinks, depending on gender and body weight.

To assess what impact such a session would have on the body, 11 men and 14 women were given enough alcohol to raise their blood alcohol levels to at least .08 g/dL within an hour. Blood samples were then taken every 30 minutes for four hours and again 24 hours later.

Szabo’s team found a rapid increase in endotoxins, which are released from the cell wall of certain bacteria when the cell is destroyed.

They also discovered bacterial DNA in the bloodstream, confirming that bacteria had permeated the gut.

Women were shown to have higher blood alcohol levels compared to men and circulating endotoxin levels.

According to this week’s WHO study, 39 per cent of all Irish people aged 15 and over had engaged in binge drinking, or “heavy episode drinking” in the last month.

Ireland has the second highest rate of binge drinking in the world

Alcohol kills more than AIDS, tuberculosis and violence combined – WHO

Column: ‘NekNominations’ craze will soon pass – but our drinking culture won’t

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48 Comments
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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    May 17th 2014, 7:18 AM

    Not to mention waking up beside minger !

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    Mute Pierce2020
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    May 17th 2014, 7:25 AM

    Is that what you overheard her saying to somebody on the phone?

    525
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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    May 17th 2014, 7:42 AM

    Nope your sister can’t afford a phone

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    Mute Pierce2020
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    May 17th 2014, 7:47 AM

    Strange she was just on the phone saying something about her new job as a courier, I think that was what she was on about, well it involved handling small packages anyway

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    May 17th 2014, 7:48 AM

    A lot of small packages ! She gets around alright !!!

    261
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    Mute Pierce2020
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    May 17th 2014, 7:51 AM

    No job too big and luckily for you no job too small

    370
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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    May 17th 2014, 7:52 AM

    Worst come back ever !

    48
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    Mute Pierce2020
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    May 17th 2014, 7:55 AM

    Give me a break, it’s hard to concentrate, I’m hungover and your mother is snoring.

    752
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    Mute Montys Moonshine
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    May 17th 2014, 8:13 AM

    BOOM, would ya like some cream for that burn Keith?

    310
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    Mute Buckwheat MacMillan
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    May 17th 2014, 8:39 AM

    Oh, you guys!

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    Mute Ian Walsh
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    May 17th 2014, 10:20 AM

    Classic come backs… Keith started well, but was ultimately owned ;)

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    Mute Emmet Walsh
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    May 17th 2014, 10:58 AM

    Great duel lads!

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    Mute Jeebus xrist
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    May 17th 2014, 11:01 AM

    And the winner is . . . .

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    Mute Richard Brogan
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    May 17th 2014, 12:22 PM

    Im getting some laugh of this

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    May 17th 2014, 12:23 PM

    Are you in our garden again ? You should quit sitting in bushes drinking and stalking my mother LARRY !

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    Mute Breda Brady
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    May 17th 2014, 2:46 PM

    Great comeback …thatl sort average joe out!

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    Mute Breda Brady
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    May 17th 2014, 2:47 PM

    I meant from pierce ie. keiths gone back check himself out in the cracked mirror

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    May 17th 2014, 3:41 PM

    Breda Brady great name are your parents rappers ?

    9
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    Mute Breda Brady
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    May 17th 2014, 3:46 PM

    Thanks for being cheeky but funny. Im warming to you bit :)

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    May 17th 2014, 6:15 PM

    This could be the first date off the journal ha ha

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    Mute Breda Brady
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    May 17th 2014, 6:16 PM

    Ah here….

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    May 17th 2014, 6:24 PM

    Ha ha ha ha

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    Mute Breda Brady
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    May 17th 2014, 9:13 PM

    Bet your liking your own comments arent ya

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    Mute thomas walsh
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    May 17th 2014, 7:23 AM

    Fever, inflammation and tissue destruction. More commonly known as a bad dose of the horrors!!

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    Mute Matthew Donoghue
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    May 17th 2014, 10:58 AM

    Alcohol lowers the activity in the amygdila which control fear and anxiety, a chemical which helps nuetralise the alcohol while you sleep also regulates the amygdila. Since you arent able to control your amydila the next day you get the fear. The article ive linked explaines more side effects of binge drinking.
    http://click2how.com/binge-drinking-will-body/

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    Mute Jay f
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    May 17th 2014, 8:43 AM

    I presume that a fry up sorts out that bacteria

    148
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    Mute potatoman
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    May 17th 2014, 9:08 AM

    Our health minister should set up liver ultrasound clinics and normalise check ups as we have done with dental services, STIs, opticians etc. People need to see evidence that drinking is negatively affecting them. Otherwise they’ll just continue thinking they are invincible. And if there’s not enough money available, let’s have Drink Aware sponsor these clinics seeing as they care so much…

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    Mute Paul Doyle
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    May 17th 2014, 7:31 AM

    In terms of what it does to your body/mind, the effect it has on society, our young people getting into God knows what sort of trouble over being pissed on cheap beer n spirits, assaults it leads to, deaths it contributes to etc it has to be the worse drug on the planet

    115
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    Mute Nigel Norris
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    May 17th 2014, 7:46 AM

    4 to 6 drinks is considered binge drinking :-0 I would have considered 46 drinks to be binge drinking.

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    Mute Very fond of
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    May 17th 2014, 7:58 AM

    46 drinks would equal death

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    Mute Jeebus xrist
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    May 17th 2014, 8:55 AM

    46 drinks in these poindexters eyes is about 23 cans. I did 27 in one sitting a number of years ago.
    I’ll never be that foolish again, but it is possible.

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    Mute Frankie Pingin
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    May 17th 2014, 8:18 AM

    Why does any article on binge drinking get so many ‘amusing ‘ comments ? This is a very serious subject. Many families in Ireland have been devastated by the consequences of binge drinking . The more you do it the sooner you are dead.

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    Mute Buckwheat MacMillan
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    May 17th 2014, 8:39 AM

    Don’t be such a wet blanket frankie

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    Mute Massive Willy
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    May 17th 2014, 7:23 AM

    Stop getting into your ma’s bed by mistake then ;-)

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    Mute Dermot Collins
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    May 17th 2014, 8:29 AM

    Nice day for a binge

    43
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    Mute Cannabis Freedom
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    May 17th 2014, 10:21 AM

    Another reason why cannabis should be legalised, a safer alternative for adult recreation is needed, by limiting people’s choices of legal recreational drugs to just alcohol, we’re actively promoting its use and even though we know how much more harmful it is to both the user and to society as a whole, we continue with the same failed policies which contribute to so much harm & destruction.

    Alcohol vs Cannabis http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aLpoLFCVzLI

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    Mute Buckwheat MacMillan
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    May 17th 2014, 10:56 AM

    No one wants to hear your stoner propaganda

    42
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    Mute Ciaran Forde
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    May 17th 2014, 11:36 AM

    Canabis is boring…and most smokers are equally boring. Equally not that keen on booze any more…having had my fair share of boozy nights I’ve had my fill. 4 is grand, anymore and you’re wasting your time…so much wasted time

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    Mute Jeebus xrist
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    May 17th 2014, 12:06 PM

    Any smokers I’ve known just sit around being fascinated by how intelligent and cultured they are.
    Woody Allen, jazz, dippy politics etc.
    Really up their own holes to be honest.

    36
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    Mute Cannabis Freedom
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    May 17th 2014, 1:52 PM

    Pointing out the fact that cannabis is much less harmful than alcohol and suggesting that it would be beneficial to have a safer choice made available to us when it comes to recreational drugs is hardly propaganda and I’m sure there are plenty of boring or stuck up their own ass stoners, but you find those kind of people in every walk of life, to suggest that all cannabis users fall into your narrow minded view of what a stoner is, is just ridiculous.

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    Mute Mark Malee
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    May 17th 2014, 9:14 AM

    Where’s Keith disappeared to?

    31
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    Mute Peter Richardson
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    May 17th 2014, 8:14 AM

    I have had a few bad binge sessions. This has caused me to think twice about it. Never thought I would think of moderation.

    29
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    Mute Sharon Sisson
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    May 17th 2014, 10:18 AM

    What? We only came in second …

    20
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    Mute Aine Nibhern
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    May 17th 2014, 10:28 AM

    Dolores Keane interview addressed the subject of alcohol abuse and the effect it had on her life. Amazing singer. And excellent, honest documentary ~

    ~ Dolores Keane: A Storm In The Heart ~ http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/10282425/ (about 37 mins in deals with her battle with alcohol and how she checked in to Hope House)

    14
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    Mute Jay P F
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    May 17th 2014, 7:30 PM

    The body treats alcohol as a poison of course it’s doing damage it’s poisoning humans for thousands of years unfortunately our culture is after embracing it!

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    Mute Kevin Gucky McGuckin
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    May 17th 2014, 8:09 AM

    Lot to be said though about getting clean airbagged – langerooed out of it.

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    Mute Jeebus xrist
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    May 17th 2014, 10:18 AM

    The offy opens in 12 mins, it takes 10 mins to get there, I’ve a rotten hangover.
    If I skipped the shower and put on some clothes, I could really make this day ‘special’.

    20
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