A high intake of alcohol may blunt the body's ability to respond appropriately to stress, results of a study in lab animals suggest. The investigators exposed rats to an alcohol-containing vapor for up to 6 hours a day for 8 days. The alcohol exposure resulted in an abnormally low levels of a key stress hormone, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). CRF is produced by the brain's hypothalamus and helps trigger the body's reaction to stress. Rats exposed to a stressor, such as an injected toxin or light electric shock, showed a blunted stress response, namely less reaction in their hormonal and nervous systems, if they were first exposed to alcohol. An impaired stress response is believed to affect several body systems, including the ability of the immune system to fight infection and of brain cells to learn and remember, according to the researchers. People who abuse alcohol have all kinds of health-related problems. The study shows that the body loses part of its ability to respond to additional stressors. Alcoholics may therefore become unable to activate their stress axis appropriately when they are faced with a challenge, and that can be damaging.

Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research 2000;24:110-122.