Association of Alcohol Drinking and Helicobacter pylori Infection : A Meta-analysis

Impact of Smoking and Alcohol Consumption on Early-Onset Gastric Cancer Development in Young Koreans: A Population-Based Study

PURPOSE

Although smoking and alcohol consumption are known risk factors for gastric cancer (GC), studies assessing their effects on early-onset GC are limited. In this nationwide, population-based, prospective cohort study, we assessed the effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on early-onset GC in patients aged <50 years.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed data of patients aged 20-39 years who underwent cancer and general health screening in the Korean National Health Screening Program between 2009 and 2012. We calculated the adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for GC incidence until December 2020.

RESULTS

We enrolled 6,793,699 individuals (men:women=4,077,292:2,716,407) in this cohort. The mean duration of follow-up was 9.4 years. During follow-up, 9,893 cases of GC (men:women=6,304:3,589) were reported. Compared with the aHRs (95% CI) of never-smokers, those of former and current-smokers were 1.121 (1.044-1.205) and 1.282 (1.212-1.355), respectively. Compared with the aHRs (95% CI) of non-consumers, those of low-moderate- and high-risk alcohol consumers were 1.095 (1.046-1.146) and 1.212 (1.113-1.321), respectively. GC risk was the highest in current-smokers and high-risk alcohol consumers (1.447 [1.297-1.615]). Interestingly, alcohol consumption and smoking additively increased the GC risk in men but not in women (Pinteraction=0.002).

CONCLUSION

Smoking and alcohol consumption are significant risk factors for early-onset GC in young Koreans. Further studies are needed to investigate sex-based impact of alcohol consumption and smoking on GC incidence in young individuals.

Dysbiosis of gut microbiota due to diet, alcohol intake, body mass index, and gastrointestinal diseases in India

The human gut is composed of diverse microflora which is influenced by dietary intake. Body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle patterns also play a vital role in human health to alter gut microbial composition. Our study aims to determine the impact of alcohol intake, BMI, and diet on gut microbiota and its relationship with gastrointestinal disorders. Thirty-nine gastric biopsies were taken from patients with various gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, and all the patient's lifestyle behavior were recorded in a written proforma. 16S rRNA metagenome analysis for V3-V4 regions was used to examine microbial compositions. The richness and diversity of gut microbiota were analyzed by PERMANOVA using the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index and principal component analysis. The difference in relative abundance was calculated by ANOVA (p < 0.05). Alpha diversity indexes between vegetarians and non-vegetarians showed no significant difference based on BMI, alcohol status, and GI diseases. We found that in overweight vegetarian individuals Faecalibacterium and Rumicococcus might play a role in the control of Helicobacter pylori. Similarly, the increased abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila in non-vegetarian individuals with normal BMI might play a role to decrease the level of harmful bacteria like H. pylori, and Corynebacterium sp. Also, the relative abundance of Corynebacterium sp. among the vegetarians and Streptococcus sp. in the non-vegetarians was increased in alcoholics while H. pylori was increased in non-alcoholics irrespective of diet. There is an increased abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in vegetarians among all categories; however, we did not find any correlation between disease outcomes. Our study shows that alcohol intake and dietary habits have independent effects on gut microbial composition. The relative abundance of F. prausnitzii was high among vegetarians in all categories. KEY POINTS: • The presence of H. pylori is less among alcoholics. • Good bacteria help to maintain a normal body mass index. • Gut microbiota richness is high in vegetarians and diversity in non-vegetarians.

Evaluation of the Antibiotic Resistance Rate of Helicobacter pylori in Peptic Ulcer Patients in Tien Giang Central General Hospital, Tien Giang Province, Vietnam

BACKGROUND: Peptic ulcer (PU), trauma on the lining of the stomach and/or small intestine, is among the top five reasons for hospitalization in Tien Giang, a province in the South of Vietnam. Since Helicobacter pylori (HP) is one of the main causes of PU, its features, especially the antibiotic-resistant status, have critical significance in PU treatment. AIM: This study evaluates the HP infection prevalence, HP antibiotic resistance rate, and its associations with the patients’ sociodemographic characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on PU patients in Tien Giang province, Vietnam, from June 2020 to June 2021. The volunteers were tested for HP infection and antibiotic resistance using three methods, where appropriate, including Gram staining, CLO (urease) test, and bacterial culture method. RESULTS: Among 368 samples, 31.5% had infected with antibiotic-resistant HP. The resistance rates to five antibiotics commonly used in HP treatment, including metronidazole, clarithromycin, tetracycline, levofloxacin, and amoxicillin, were 96.6%, 94.8%, 70.7%, 61.2%, and 53.4%, respectively. The rates of tetracycline and clarithromycin resistance were related to alcohol consumption (t-test, p < 0.05). The HP treatment history was significantly associated with the levofloxacin resistance (t-test, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The emergence of antibiotic-resistant HP is a major public health concern in Tien Giang, Vietnam. This issue should be tackled at the national level to avoid the further spread of these multi-drug resistant HP strains.