Japanese study finds drinking alcohol may reduce COVID-19 vaccine efficacy

At present, local epidemics are spreading in many countries, and it is imminent to increase the vaccination rate of booster shots

A recent study by the University of International Health and Welfare (IUHW) in Japan found that drinking habits may reduce the rise in neutralizing antibodies to the new coronavirus after booster vaccination

Levels of these antibodies in people who injected alcohol were reduced by an average of 15 percent after the injection booster, compared with those who didn't drink alcohol, said the research team, led by Associate Professor Fujita at the International University of Health and Welfare

The researchers checked their blood for the presence of antibodies, including levels of neutralizing antibodies that could protect against infection

This showed that the third injection was indeed effective in producing antibodies and preventing severe symptoms from developing

However, combined with a questionnaire survey on the tobacco and alcohol habits of these 187 people, it was found that both drinking and smoking have a negative impact on the ability of vaccines to enhance human immunity, and the negative impact of drinking is even higher than that of smoking, which is also a bad habit

Why does drinking alcohol reduce vaccine efficacy? The reason drinking blunts the potency of boosters, Fujita said, is that drinking habit reduces liver function and burdens the gut, which contains about 70 percent of the body's immune cells, inhibiting the rise in antibody titers

The study, conducted by International Medical Fulfilly University, is Japan's first large-scale study of the effect of alcohol consumption on booster injections

In the environment of Omicron virus invasion and repeated epidemics, a third booster vaccine is used to boost antibodies against epidemics