The Role of the Microbiome in Alcoholic Liver Disease. Microbiome in Alcoholic Liver Disease

Alcoholic liver disease is dependent on gut-derived bacterial products. It has recently been demonstrated that alcoholic liver disease is associated with changes in the intestinal microflora with both qualitative (dysbiosis) and quantitative (intestinal bacterial overgrowth) differences. Among the qualitative changes it has been shown that alcohol suppresses probiotic bacteria including Lactobacillus, while metagenomic analysis showed a suppression of bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis at the same time. Thus alcohol-induced changes in the intestinal microbiome are central for alcoholic liver disease and restoration of intestinal homeostasis will therefore be beneficial for health.