--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut…" description: "\"“Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut leakier, allowing microbes to more readily influence the brain. Could that help to explain why alcoholics often..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/963/ed-yong-14636_depression_drinking-lots-of-alcohol-makes-the-gut-l_99530.jpg" --- # Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut leakier, allowing… ![“Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut leakier, allowing microbes to more readily influence the brain. Could that help to explain why alcoholics often experience depression or anxiety? Our diet reshapes the microbes in our gut, could those changes ripple out to affect our minds? The gut microbiome…” quote by Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/963/ed-yong-14636_depression_drinking-lots-of-alcohol-makes-the-gut-l_99530.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/963/ed-yong-14636_depression_drinking-lots-of-alcohol-makes-the-gut-l_99530.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/963/ed-yong-14636_depression_drinking-lots-of-alcohol-makes-the-gut-l_99530.jpg) > ““Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut leakier, allowing microbes to more readily influence the brain. Could that help to explain why alcoholics often experience depression or anxiety? Our diet reshapes the microbes in our gut, could those changes ripple out to affect our minds? The gut microbiome becomes less stable in old age-could that contribute to the rise of brain disease in the elderly? And could our microbes manipulate our food cravings in the first place? If you reach for a burger or a chocolate bar what exactly is pushing that hand forward?”” [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The excerpt explores how alcohol and diet alter gut microbes, which may affect brain chemistry, mood, cravings, and age‑related neurological disease, proposing a gut‑brain‑behavior feedback loop. **In simple terms:** Gut microbes link diet, alcohol, and mental health. Key Takeaway Microbiome changes can influence brain function. Themes microbiome neuroscience nutrition aging mental health Mood inquisitive analytical Type scientific speculation explanatory When to use this quote - clinical trial design - dietary counseling - elderly health monitoring - addiction treatment Key Concepts gut‑brain axis causality vs correlation Practical Applications - investigate probiotic interventions for mood disorders Questions to Reflect On - How strong is evidence linking gut microbes to mood? - What ethical concerns arise from manipulating microbiomes? A Different Perspective Causality is not established; many confounding factors exist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bacteria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bacteria/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) ## Related quotes > [“When microbiologists first started cataloguing the human microbiome in its entirety they hoped to discover a "core" microbiome: a group of species that everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/when-microbiologists-first-started-cataloguing-the-human-microbiome/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The microbiome may vary from day to day, from sunrise to sunset, or even from meal to meal, but such variations are small compared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-microbiome-may-vary-from-day-to-day-from-sunrise-to-sunset-or/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“For example, all three partners cooperate to make nutrients. To create the amino acid phenylalanine, they need nine enzymes. Tremblaya can build 1,2,5,6,7, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/for-example-all-three-partners-cooperate-to-make-nutrients-to-create/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“If I went to a library and lobbed a microbiology textbook out the window, I could easily concuss a passer-by. If I tore out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/if-i-went-to-a-library-and-lobbed-a-microbiology-textbook-out-the/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“One bacterial species stood out, both for its protective powers and for its colour: blackish-purple, ominous but darkly beautiful. It was called Janthinobacterium lividum.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/one-bacterial-species-stood-out-both-for-its-protective-powers-and/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The bacteria don't physically reshape the gut themselves. Instead, they work via their hosts. They are more management than labour. Lora Hooper demonstrated this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-bacteria-don-t-physically-reshape-the-gut-themselves-instead-they/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“John McCutcheon has worked out the origins of this weird hierarchy-and it's almost unbelievable in its twists and turns. It begins with Tremblaya, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/john-mccutcheon-has-worked-out-the-origins-of-this-weird-hierarchy/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“We have already seen how pliable the microbiome can be. It can change with a touch, with a meal, with a parasitic incursion or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/we-have-already-seen-how-pliable-the-microbiome-can-be-it-can-change/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“bacteria are infinitely more versatile than we are. They are metabolic wizards that can digest everything from uranium to crude oil. They are expert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/bacteria-are-infinitely-more-versatile-than-we-are-they-are-metabolic/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The team also worked out how the microbes were affecting the brain. Their main suspect was the vagus nerve. It's a long branching nerve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-team-also-worked-out-how-the-microbes-were-affecting-the-brain/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The world around us is a gigantic reservoir of potential microbial partners. Every mouthful could bring in new microbes that digest a previously unbreakable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-world-around-us-is-a-gigantic-reservoir-of-potential-microbial/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“When Hamiltonella's genome was sequenced, the real reason behind the bacterium's protective powers became apparent: about half of its DNA actually belonged to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/when-hamiltonella-s-genome-was-sequenced-the-real-reason-behind-the/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The variations that exist between the body parts dwarf those that exist between people. Put simply, the bacteria on your forearm are more similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-variations-that-exist-between-the-body-parts-dwarf-those-that/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“Most animals can't tap into these open-source adaptations deliberately. The flies didn't seek out Spiroplasma to solve their worm problem. Woodrats didn't go looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/most-animals-can-t-tap-into-these-open-source-adaptations/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The data might tell tales with preposterous plots, but they don't lie. They tell us that the citrus mealybug is a mash-up of at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-data-might-tell-tales-with-preposterous-plots-but-they-don-t-lie/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) ## More by Ed Yong > [“No, the algae were making something that killed the corals via their own microbes. That something turned out to be dissolved organic carbon (DOC);…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/no-the-algae-were-making-something-that-killed-the-corals-via-their/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“Patterson died in 2014 but Mazmanian is now carrying on his friend's work. His long-term goal is to develop a bacterium that people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/patterson-died-in-2014-but-mazmanian-is-now-carrying-on-his-friend-s/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“Mucus is made from giant molecules called mucins, each consisting of a central protein backbone with thousands of sugar molecules branching off it. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/mucus-is-made-from-giant-molecules-called-mucins-each-consisting-of-a/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The Earth is 4.54 billion years old. A span of time that big is too mind-boggling to comprehend, so let’s collapse the planet’s entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-earth-is-4-54-billion-years-old-a-span-of-time-that-big-is-too/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“Many of the plants that the spider mite targets can release hydrogen cyanide when their tissues are breached. 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Woodrats didn't go looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/most-animals-can-t-tap-into-these-open-source-adaptations/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“Howler monkeys all defecate at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/howler-monkeys-all-defecate-at-the-same-time/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The variations that exist between the body parts dwarf those that exist between people. Put simply, the bacteria on your forearm are more similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-variations-that-exist-between-the-body-parts-dwarf-those-that/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“It earns its keep. As it digests HMOs, B. infantis releases short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that feed an infant's gut cells - so while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/it-earns-its-keep-as-it-digests-hmos-b-infantis-releases-short-chain/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“When Hamiltonella's genome was sequenced, the real reason behind the bacterium's protective powers became apparent: about half of its DNA actually belonged to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/when-hamiltonella-s-genome-was-sequenced-the-real-reason-behind-the/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“For one group of wasps, the braconids, transferred genes have enabled a bizarre form of pest control. The females of these wasps lay their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/for-one-group-of-wasps-the-braconids-transferred-genes-have-enabled-a/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“Our darkest fiction is full of Orwellian dystopias, shadowy cabals, and mind-controlling supervillains. But it turns out that the brainless, microscopic, single-celled organisms that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/our-darkest-fiction-is-full-of-orwellian-dystopias-shadowy-cabals-and/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The world around us is a gigantic reservoir of potential microbial partners. Every mouthful could bring in new microbes that digest a previously unbreakable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-world-around-us-is-a-gigantic-reservoir-of-potential-microbial/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) > [“The team also worked out how the microbes were affecting the brain. Their main suspect was the vagus nerve. It's a long branching nerve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-yong/the-team-also-worked-out-how-the-microbes-were-affecting-the-brain/) [Ed Yong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) [Explore all 46 Ed Yong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-yong/) ## More Bacteria quotes > [“Bacteria and viruses were the most effective allies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-hughes-galeano/bacteria-and-viruses-were-the-most-effective-allies/) [Eduardo Hughes Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-hughes-galeano/) > [...The large majority of those infectious microbes that cause us so much illness and pain are ANAEROBIC...a big word that means they live and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-mccabe/the-large-majority-of-those-infectious-microbes-that-cause-us-so-much/) [Ed McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-mccabe/) > [You can't just boss bacteria around like that," said the younger Mrs. Hempstock. "They don't like it." "Stuff and silliness," said the old lady.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-can-t-just-boss-bacteria-around-like-that-said-the-younger-mrs/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are more microbes per person than the entire population of the world. Imagine that. Per person. This means that if the time scale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/there-are-more-microbes-per-person-than-the-entire-population-of-the/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [“According to pioneering microbiologist Lynn Margulis, "fully 10 percent of our own dry body weight consists of bacteria, some of which, although they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-bjornerud/according-to-pioneering-microbiologist-lynn-margulis-fully-10-percent/) Marcia Bjornerud > [Plants with leaves no more efficient than today's solar cells could out-compete real plants, crowding the biosphere with an inedible foliage. Tough omnivorous bacteria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-eric-drexler/plants-with-leaves-no-more-efficient-than-today-s-solar-cells-could/) [K. Eric Drexler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-eric-drexler/) > [Nineteen hundred and three will bring great advances in surgery, in the study of bacteria, in the knowledge of the cause and prevention of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/nineteen-hundred-and-three-will-bring-great-advances-in-surgery-in/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Most people are surprised when they hear my somber figures: we know of 2 million species of plants, animals and microorganisms, and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/most-people-are-surprised-when-they-hear-my-somber-figures-we-know-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Harmful bacteria, viruses, calcium-forming micro-organisms, and candida are part of our world. Unfortunately, so are toxic chemicals, including everything from pesticides to car pollution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/harmful-bacteria-viruses-calcium-forming-micro-organisms-and-candida/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [With one linear centimeter of your lower colon there lives and works more bacteria (about 100 billion) that all humans who have ever been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/with-one-linear-centimeter-of-your-lower-colon-there-lives-and-works/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Eighty-five percent of recorded species live in the terrestrial realm, and the majority of these, some 850,000, are arthropods (that is, insects, spiders, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-leakey/eighty-five-percent-of-recorded-species-live-in-the-terrestrial-realm/) Richard E. Leakey > [As far as I am concerned, LGBT can only stand for leprosy, gonorrhea, bacteria, and tuberculosis, all of which are detrimental to human existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahya-jammeh/as-far-as-i-am-concerned-lgbt-can-only-stand-for-leprosy-gonorrhea/) [Yahya Jammeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahya-jammeh/) > [There are about 250,000 different species of fossil plants and animals known . . In spite of this large quantity of information, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-raup/there-are-about-250-000-different-species-of-fossil-plants-and/) [David M. Raup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-raup/) > [Human health should now be thought of as a collective property of the human-associate d microbiota, as one group of researchers recently concluded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/human-health-should-now-be-thought-of-as-a-collective-property-of-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [When you get into the whole field of exploring, probably 90 percent of the kinds of organisms, plants, animals and especially microorganisms and tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/when-you-get-into-the-whole-field-of-exploring-probably-90-percent-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) [Browse all 285 Bacteria quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bacteria/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Drinking lots of alcohol makes the gut leakier, allowing microbes to more readily influence the brain. Could that help to explain why alcoholics often experience depression or anxiety? Our diet reshapes the microbes in our gut, could those changes ripple out to affect our minds? The gut microbiome becomes less stable in old age-could that contribute to the rise of brain disease in the elderly? And could our microbes manipulate our food cravings in the first place? 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