Alcohol consumption appears to protect against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

SUMMARY BackgroundModerate alcohol consumption may have certain beneficial effects against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is associated with metabolic syndrome.

Potential health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption: current perspectives in research

“…Whether the amount of alcohol consumption (light to moderate), the frequency or both are responsible for the beneficial effect on NAFLD development is unknown, and little is known also about the association between alcohol consumption and FL in women alone. Recently, Moriya et al (97) confirmed that the drinking frequency was inversely correlated to the prevalence of ultrasonographically determined FL and alanine aminotransferase elevation in men, whereas light and infrequent alcohol consumption was associated with a low risk of FL in women.…”

The diagnosis and management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Practice Guideline by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Gastroenterological Association

“…The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines heavy or at-risk drinking as more than 4 drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks per week in men or more than 3 drinks on any day or 7 drinks per week in women. 146 Several recent cross-sectional studies [147][148][149][150][151][152][153] suggest a beneficial effect of light alcohol consumption (on average less than one drink per day) on the presence (defined either biochemically or by imaging) and severity of NAFLD. There are no studies reporting the effect of ongoing alcohol consumption on disease severity or natural history of NAFLD or NASH.…”

Birmingham and Lambeth Liver Evaluation Testing Strategies (BALLETS): a prospective cohort study

“…We found an interesting J-shaped curve relating alcohol intake to probability of fatty liver in men. This has been discovered before in secondary care, 145,146 and moderate alcohol consumption was associated with lower risk of metabolic syndrome in a community-based study. BALLETS found a significant (p = 0.032) association between change in BMI over 2 years and change in liver fat (see Chapter 7, The effect of changes in body mass index and alcohol intake on fatty liver).…”