Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis and Associated Gut Health Outcomes Among Alcohol Consumers in Musanze District of Rwanda: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Excessive consumption of alcohol contributes to gut dysbiosis, leading to adverse gut health outcomes such as gastrointestinal diseases. About 1.6%, or 200,000, Rwandans between 14 and 64 years old abuse alcohol. But there is a paucity of information on the effects of alcohol on intestinal health. This was a cross-sectional study carried out to determine the gut microbial imbalance and associated outcomes among alcohol consumers in the Musanze district.
Methods: A total of 50 participants were recruited, of which 25 were alcohol consumers, while the remaining 25 were control subjects. Stool samples were collected and transported to the INES Ruhengeri clinical microbiology laboratory for microbial identification. Gut outcomes associated with alcohol consumption were evaluated by an interview-administered questionnaire. An independent t-test was performed to test for the microbial mean difference between alcohol consumers and non-alcohol consumers, while a chi-square test was performed to evaluate associations between gut dysbiosis and outcomes.
Results: Escherichia coli (17.5%) was the most predominant among alcohol consumers, while Lactobacillus (17.3%) was the most predominant among control subjects. There was a significant association between alcohol consumption and gut microbial alteration to E. coli (x² = 4.2, P=.04), Enterococcus faecalis (x² = 9.9, P=.00165), Lactobacillus sp. (x² = 16.4, P=.000051), Bacillus sp. (x² = 5.8, P=.016), S. epidermidis (x² = 11.7, P =.000625), S. pyogenes (x² = 3.9, P=.048), and the overall association was statistically significant (x² = 65.75, P ˂.00001). The association between gut microbiota dysbiosis and gut health outcomes was also significant for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (x² = 18.3, P=.001078), S. pyogenes (x² = 12.1, P=.016623), Enterococcus faecalis (x² = 11, P=.026564) and the overall association (x² = 113.703, P<.00001) with the imbalanced microbiota and outcomes being statistically significant. The odd ratio (OR) for pathogenic bacteria to non-pathogenic bacteria was OR = 5.11˃1.
Conclusion: Alcohol consumption is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis, which predisposes to intestinal disorders. Excessive consumption of alcohol should be stopped to prevent devastating outcomes to intestinal health.