It is known that alcohol consumption alters both innate and adaptive immunity in both humans as well as animal models, however these effects have not been systematically assessed on the basis of the amount of alcohol consumed and duration. Moderate alcohol consumption is defined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans as up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as the consumption of 4 drinks for women or 5 drinks for men within 2 hours. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration defines heavy drinking as binge drinking on 5 or more days in the past 30 days. Several studies have described a J-shaped curve for the effects of alcohol on human health, with light to moderate consumers having a lower risk of all-cause mortality than abstainers, while heavy drinkers and those with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are at the highest risk (O'Keefe, Bybee et al. 2007). Moreover, moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
