How Does Alcohol Impact the Gut Microbiome?

This week on Health Matters, Courtney Allison is joined by Dr. Stephanie Rutledge, transplant hepatologist with NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine.

They dig into a fascinating connection between the health of the gut microbiome and the health of the liver, by exploring the impacts of drinking alcohol on both. Microbes in the gut are affected by what we eat and drink, and the consequences of drinking alcohol may be more serious than you expect. Dr. Rutledge describes how serious cases may even require a fecal transplant.

But there are simple steps you can take to improve the health of your gut microbiome. Dr. Rutledge describes how quickly a dysfunctional microbiome can recover once someone stops drinking, and offers health tips that can improve anyone’s liver health. Even just a month of better habits can have big results for the gut microbiome, the liver, and overall health.

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Dr. Stephanie Rutledge is a gastroenterologist and transplant hepatologist with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. She treats alcohol use disorder and alcohol-associated liver disease with Weill Cornell Medicine’s Center for Alcohol and Liver Medicine (CALM). Dr. Rutledge received her MBBCh BAO from University College Dublin, completed residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, and completed her Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology Fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital.

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Health Matters is your weekly dose of health and wellness information, from the leading experts. Join host Courtney Allison to get news you can use in your own life. New episodes drop each Wednesday.

If you are looking for practical health tips and trustworthy information from world-class doctors and medical experts you will enjoy listening to Health Matters. Health Matters was created to share stories of science, care, and wellness that are happening every day at NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems. In keeping with NewYork-Presbyterian’s long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, Health Matters features the latest news, insights, and health tips from our trusted experts; inspiring first-hand accounts from patients and caregivers; and updates on the latest research and innovations in patient care, all in collaboration with our renowned medical schools, Columbia and Weill Cornell Medicine. To learn more visit: https://healthmatters.nyp.org