The buzz about HIV

Men with detectable HIV infections need less alcohol to feel “buzzed” compared to uninfected men, according to recent work by researchers from Yale and the Veterans Health Administration. Survey responses from over 2,600 men in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, 607 with detectable HIV infections and 871 with suppressed HIV, showed that men with detectable infections need a quarter of a drink less than their counterparts to feel the effects of alcohol. “All else equal, people who have HIV infection have a lower tolerance for alcohol than similar people without HIV infection,” said Amy C. Justice, M.D. ’88, M.Sc., Ph.D., professor of medicine and public health and senior author on the study. The study was published in April in the journal AIDS and Behavior.