MedWire News: Moderate alcohol consumption may facilitate the elimination of Helicobacter pylori, suggest researchers who found an inverse association between alcohol consumption and H. pylori seropositivity.

Alcohol drinking has been suggested to facilitate elimination of H. pylori due to its antibacterial effect, but epidemiologic evidence supporting this association is sparse, explain Lei Gao (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany) and co-authors.

Using data from a large population-based cohort study investigating prevention and early detection of chronic diseases in the elderly, the team examined serological measurements of antibodies against H. pylori and serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) – a biomarker of alcohol consumption – in 9733 individuals aged 50 to 74 years.

In addition, a standardized questionnaire was completed by all participants, which provided information on sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, health status, family history, and lifestyle factors.

Overall, 52.7% of individuals were seropositive for H. pylori. A significant inverse dose-response relationship was seen between serum GGT levels and H. pylori seropositivity, but only in alcohol drinkers not abstainers.

Significant associations were found between H. pylori seropositivity and both current and lifetime alcohol drinking, with adjusted odds ratios of 0.85 and 0.76, respectively.

When the researchers looked at the associations according to the type of alcohol consumed, significant dose-response relationships between H. pylori seropositivity and both current and lifetime alcohol consumption were observed for those who only drank wine or mixed alcohol.

Furthermore, individuals who had a lifetime consumption of only beer showed less of an association with H. pylori seropositivity compared with those who had a lifetime consumption of only wine or mixed alcohol. No significant association was found between current beer consumption and H. pylori seropositivity.

Estimates based on lifetime consumption were more pronounced than those for current consumptions, and were seen in both men and women. However, the researchers note that the inverse association with H. pylori seropositivity was stronger for lifetime consumption among men than among women (OR=0.64 vs 0.79, respectively, for any lifetime alcohol consumption compared with no alcohol consumption).

“Further studies are needed to fully explore potential underlying mechanisms and the potential impact of alcohol consumption of H. pylori-related diseases,” conclude the authors in the Annals of Epidemiology.

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