Gut Microbiome Can Affect Desire for Alcohol

Impact of Gut Microbiome on Reward Pathways and Alcohol Use Disorder: Q&A With Investigators of New Study

New research reveals how Candida albicans in the gut microbiome influences alcohol consumption and aversion, offering insights for treating alcohol use disorder.

Gut microbiome can affect desire for alcohol

Researchers have found a surprising connection between a fungus associated with alcohol use disorder and the brain’s dopamine reward pathway. Published in the journal mBio, the study describes, in mice, how an overgrowth of Candida albicans—a fungus that naturally resides in the human gut—increases levels of inflammatory molecules called PGE2 that can cross the blood-brain barrier and affect the desire for alcohol. PGE2, short for prostaglandin …