Using liquor as a treatment for a Heliobacter Pylori infection?

[Genecks]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicobacter_pylori

 

So, H. Pylori are nasty little germs that like to dig into the stomach of various species, humans included, and screw with the acid levels of the organism. They are extremophiles in a sense, and they are microorganisms.

 

But, let's keep in mind that they're still microorganisms. And microorganisms don't like being put in a bottle of alcohol. It ruptures the proteins and cellular structure.

 

So, here's my question to those with a wide knowledge of immunology and microbiology: Could a person drink liquor, wine, or other alcoholic drinks in order to remove and treat an H. Pylori infection?

 

I suspect if a person moderately drank alcohol throughout a period of days (maybe a shot of brandy every 1.5 hours) and perhaps took a long-lasting antacid, such as omeprazole--both would be done through a process of 14 days--, then it would stop the acidic gastrointestinal effects and kill some of the H. Pylori in the process. I don't think the H. Pylori are going to evolve a resistance to an alcohol. The thing that makes humans so different from other species is that humans can actively find and consume alcohol.

 

Do any of you think this would work to treat and decrease an H. Pylori infection? Anyone have a take on this?

 

I'll act like an academic. I went out to find some articles. First off, I'll say that in a lot of articles that I have read that many people believe that drinking alcohol and general partying can allow H. Pylori to find its way into a person. I've also read that some people aren't too sure how others are infected with H. Pylori.

 

There is a study from 1997 that discusses the pros and cons of coffee, cigarettes, and alcohol and their interaction with H. Pylori.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/315/7121/1489

"Relation of smoking and alcohol and coffee consumption to active Helicobacter pylori infection: cross sectional study"

BMJ 1997;315:1489-1492 (6 December)

 

In that article, it hints at alcohol being a protective mechanisms to deter infection. Furthermore, it discusses coffee, which is acidic, as a factor that may increase or worsen the infection. Thus, as this post states, alcohol combined with a long-lasting antacid may be beneficial as a treatment method.

 

There is also another article that I have found discussing life-time drinking habits and the correlation between that and H. Pylori infection.

 

 

Relationship between Lifetime Alcohol Consumption and Helicobacter Pylori Infection

Annals of Epidemiology

Volume 15, Issue 8, September 2005, Pages 607-613

 

PURPOSE: Several studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between current moderate alcohol

consumption and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection suggesting that alcohol consumption may

facilitate elimination of this chronic infection. The aim of this study was to further explore this hypothesis

by taking lifetime alcohol consumption, which may be a better marker of the relevant exposure than current

alcohol consumption, into account.

 

Conclusion

 

Our analysis supports the hypothesis that alcohol consumption may facilitate elimination of H. pylori infection among adults.

 

In general, many of the articles past 1996 seem to be hinting at the idea that alcohol consumption acts as a good way to deter the detrimental effects of H. Pylori.

Edited October 31, 2009 by Genecks

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

The concentration of alcohol used in hand sanitizers to reliably kill stuff is 62%; I doubt you'll be able to do too much with alcohol in your stomach simply by drinking it. I don't know how effective a limited concentration would be, but to something that lives in hydrochloric acid, I can't imagine it doing too much.

[dr.syntax]

Imbibo ergo sum .....Who knows, it might just help. ...DS

[Genecks]

The concentration of alcohol used in hand sanitizers to reliably kill stuff is 62%; I doubt you'll be able to do too much with alcohol in your stomach simply by drinking it. I don't know how effective a limited concentration would be, but to something that lives in hydrochloric acid, I can't imagine it doing too much.

 

I believe that the alcohol in the stomach would make an alkyl chloride, thus helping to neutralize the stomach acid: R-OH + HCl -> R-Cl + H2O. R stands for a carbon-based attachment. And with any remaining alcohol, it could attack the H. Pylori.

Edited October 31, 2009 by Genecks

[John Cuthber]

I believe that the alcohol in the stomach would make an alkyl chloride, thus helping to neutralize the stomach acid: R-OH + HCl -> R-Cl + H2O. R stands for a carbon-based attachment. And with any remaining alcohol, it could attack the H. Pylori.

 

Barely; that reaction usually goes the other way and there's a lot more water in the stomach than there is acid.

 

I suspect that drinking enough alcohol to poison the bugs would poison the patient.

[Mr Skeptic]

Anyone know how much fluid is in an empty stomach?

[insane_alien]

stick your fingers down your throat and have a measuring bucket standing by to find out. i'm pretty sure you have the appropriate body parts to find out for yourself.

[John Cuthber]

Anyone know how much fluid is in an empty stomach?

 

The clue is in the question. It's empty so ...

[CharonY]

This is an interesting topic. It should be pointed out, however that cohort studies only provide associations and by their very nature can lead to conflicting results. It is therefore very important to check more than one study and ideally find one that demonstrates mechanisms. A quick search revealed that there are studies that find that there are indeed conflicting results.

The most recent one being Zhang et al. 2009 Alcohol and Alcoholism, doi:10.1093/alcalc/agp068

[Mr Skeptic]

stick your fingers down your throat and have a measuring bucket standing by to find out. i'm pretty sure you have the appropriate body parts to find out for yourself.

 

Thanks, but I don't want to taste hydrochloric acid just to find a lower limit of how much fluid is in my stomach (since some might stay down there).