Can drinking alcohol impact our gut health? It sure can. Since our gut health is so crucial for our overall health, this episode focuses on the connection between alcohol consumption and the microbial component of our gut health, the gut microbiome. In this episode, I spoke with microbiology researcher Andrew Day about how alcohol disrupts the gut microbiome and mycobiome — the fungal community in the gut — causing changes that affect the body and brain.

We explore whether quitting alcohol can heal the gut and the potential of future therapies like probiotics or fecal transplants to aid recovery. Join us to learn about the gut microbiome’s surprising role in addiction and what science is uncovering about this complex relationship. By understanding these connections, we gain insight into the broader impacts of alcohol on health and behavior.

Topics covered in this episode:

• The role of fungi in the microbiome
• Impact of alcohol on the gut microbiome (and mycobiome)
• Recovery and microbiome restoration
• The gut microbiome and addiction
• The gut-brain axis and alcohol consumption
• Potential of microbial therapies for recovery: probiotics, prebiotics, fecal transplants
• At-home microbiology activity: Grow a biofilm

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