et al. 2007). Finally treatment of a mouse hybridoma cell line with 25, 50, 100 and 200mM ethanol for 48 hours resulted in a linear increase in IgM production (Muhlbauer, Karsten et al. 2001). The increased production of immunoglobulins in alcoholics could be due to the adduction of liver proteins by acetaldehyde and lipid peroxidation of membranes by MDA that result in increased immunogenicity of self-proteins and the potential initiation of auto-immune responses (Thiele, Duryee et al. 2010). In contrast to these observations in subjects with alcohol use disorders, IgG, IgM and IgA concentrations, decreased in both men and women following moderate beer consumption (Romeo, Warnberg et al. 2007). Similarly, lower IgG levels were observed in female and male moderate consumers than in abstainers (Gonzalez-Quintela, Alende et al. 2008) (Figure 1).
