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If you’re wondering whether or not having an alcoholic drink after getting the COVID-19 vaccine or a booster shot is a good idea—will it weaken your body’s immune response?—the short answer is that it depends on how much alcohol you drink and how often you drink it.
There’s some solid research that shows chronic, heavy alcohol use will impact your immune system response and lower your immunity. And other research has shown that even just a single episode of binge drinking in otherwise healthy individuals can hinder your immune system.
For example, one 2021 study inAntioxidantsfound that binge drinking increases gut permeability, meaning that toxins, bacteria and other “things” in your gastrointestinal tract that aren’t supposed to get through your gut wall can actually leak through. This can fuel a state of low-gradechronic inflammation. This is likely why a 2022 study inFrontiers in Psychiatryfound that binge drinkers had an increase in the circulation of some pro-inflammatory compounds.
But the research on moderate drinking (you know, how we’re all supposed to be drinking…) and your immune system shows it to be fairly benign. Remember, moderate drinking for females is one drink a day, and for males two drinks a day, per the2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In fact, a 2020 study published in the journalAlcohol and Alcoholismlooked at moderate drinking and its impact on the immune system. Researchers gave healthy non-chronic-drinking adults a moderate dose of alcohol. The researchers aimed for a breath alcohol level of around 0.07 and found that their immune systems didn’t change all that significantly.
Of note: Alcohol seems to affect females differently (or perhaps worse) than males. According to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), due to a female’s biology and chemistry, more alcohol tends to be absorbed and it takes longer to metabolize. These effects place females at higher risk of long-term negative health consequences compared to males.
So, knowing all of this, is it OK to have an alcoholic beverage after your COVID vaccine or booster shot?
Can You Drink Alcohol after the COVID Vaccine or Booster Shot?
“There is no reason you cannot drink alcohol after your vaccine or booster,” saysStarr Steinhilber, M.D., M.P.H., an internal medicine physician and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. “Heavy chronic alcohol use negatively impacts your immune system, but light occasional use does not.”
Steinhilber also said there isn’t any reason you couldn’t have a drink before you get your COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot. But again, she is referring to light or moderate occasional use, not chronic or heavy drinking.
Like most vaccines, the COVID-19 shot can have potential short-term side effects, including fever, headache, fatigue and pain at the injection site, according to theCDC. If you want or need to take a pain reliever to help manage your side effects, be mindful of which type of medicine you take. “If you need to take acetaminophen (Tylenol) after your vaccine due to post-vaccination symptoms, you would want to limit your alcohol use. Taken together, acetaminophen and alcohol can cause liver injury,” says Steinhilber. “The same does not happen with ibuprofen (Advil) and alcohol.”
The Bottom Line
Remember that alcoholic drinks on their own contribute little to no nutritional value, and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can result in several negative health consequences. With that said, if you choose to have a drink around the time of your COVID-19 shot, imbibe in moderation. And if you use pain relief to help ease the side effects of the injection, avoid combining acetaminophen and alcohol, as you could cause damage to your liver.
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