New studies prove lethal link between alcohol, weight

Research announced today at the International Liver CongressTM 2013 has revealed the deadly impact that alcohol and body weight have on liver disease.

Women should forgo the wine and doughnuts after a new study found the harmful combination of high alcohol intake and high body mass index (BMI) causes an increased risk of chronic liver disease. The study analysed a cohort of over 107,000 women to investigate how a female's weight and alcohol consumption affected their chances of suffering and dying from chronic liver disease.

EASL's Scientific Committee Member Dr. Daniele Prati said this research involved a large study to investigate the combined influence of a person's alcoholic intake and BMI on the liver.

Dr. Prati said: "It's well known that alcohol and a person's weight are major causes of chronic liver disease however there has been a need for a large population study to compare these factors' influences on each other. Interestingly, the research found the combination of a woman's drinking habits and weight has an important effect on liver health and life expectancy."

More than 107,000 women across the United Kingdom who took part in the study were classed with a low or high BMI (<25 or ≥ 25) and a low or high alcohol intake (between 0-15 or over 15 units per week). BMI is a measure for human body shape based on an individual's weight and height, with people scoring ≥ 25 classified as overweight. The study found risk was significantly increased in the group of women with a high BMI and high alcohol intake, with these participants more likely to suffer from chronic liver disease.

Dr. Prati explained: "These findings will have a significant impact on how we can help millions of people across the world at risk of developing liver disease. Women are at particular risk as they are twice as sensitive as men to alcohol related liver damage and developing a more severe form of the disease at lower doses with shorter durations of alcohol consumption. Based on this research we know that a person with low BMI and high alcoholic intake have a greater risk of developing chronic liver disease compared to a woman with a high BMI who doesn't drink very much. More research is required to determine the exact thresholds for each risk factor that independently and in combination increase the risk of chronic liver disease but this is an important first step in the right direction."

Other new research released at the congress showcased a strong link between the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in alcoholic cirrhosis patients and metabolic fatty liver disease. The study found that patients with alcoholic cirrhosis who also have fatty liver disease and are overweight, obese or type 2 diabetic are more likely to develop HCC.

The research examined 100 patients who received transplants for alcoholic end stage liver disease to analyse the impact of both fatty liver and metabolic risk factors such as obesity and type 2 diabetes on the development of HCC in patients.