1 interaction related to endotoxin
Chronic alcohol use lowers the body's zinc through reduced intake, impaired intestinal absorption, increased urinary loss, and altered zinc transporters (notably ZIP14). The relationship is bidirectional: zinc deficiency in turn worsens alcohol-related liver injury by weakening the intestinal barrier, allowing more bacterial endotoxin to leak into the portal blood, and reducing the liver's antioxidant defenses.