Interaction between alcohol use and metabolic risk factors for liver disease: a critical review of epidemiological studies.

Interaction between alcohol use and metabolic risk factors for liver disease: a critical review of epidemiological studies. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2019 Dec 18;: Authors: Åberg F, Färkkilä M, Männistö V Abstract Co-existence of alcohol use and metabolic risk - the two commonest population risk factors for non-viral chronic liver disease - is a growing concern. Clinical and mechanistic evidence point to considerable supra-additive interaction effects for the development and progression of chronic liver disease between hazardous alcohol use and metabolic abnormalities including obesity, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome. Intermittent binge drinking once monthly or more often seems to be associated with progression of liver disease even when average alcohol intake is within the currently allowed limits for a diagnosis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and supra-additive interaction between binge drinking and the metabolic syndrome has been reported. There are contradictory findings regarding the association between low alcohol use and liver steatosis, but, clearly, the mechanisms of alcoholic hepatotoxicity extend beyond simple fat accumulation. The presence of liver steatosis seems to amplify alcoholic hepatotoxicity. Recent longitudinal studies of NAFLD subjects report low alcohol use associated with both increased fibrosis progression and an elevated risk for liver cancer and severe liver disease. There is no clear ...
Source: Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Source Type: research