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How Alcohol Affects the Liver

It’s easy to take the liver for granted: Long after you’ve gone to bed, cursing the friend who ordered Jäger shots, the vital organ is hard at work, soaking up the toxins you’ve recklessly introduced into your bloodstream. But what happens when those Friday nights begin to add up? And are there even ways to tell if your liver is beginning to show signs of strain from years of making questionable decisions... But before you freak out, you should know that alcoholic liver disease more commonly sets in slowly, over time. First, fat builds up in your liver, making it harder for the organ to carry out functions like breaking down medications and absorbing nutrients from your food...

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Articles of Interest

Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Understanding Risks and Treatments

Alcoholic fatty liver disease is characterized by hepatic steatosis, where fat accumulates in the liver due to heavy alcohol use. When individuals consume more alcohol than the liver can process, it disrupts the breakdown of fats. If left unchecked, AFLD can advance from fatty liver to alcoholic hepatitis, an acute liver inflammation, and potentially to cirrhosis, where healthy liver tissue is substituted with scar tissue. The prevalence of AFLD is closely tied to patterns of alcohol consumption globally. Notably, it is more common in populations with higher rates of heavy alcohol use and binge drinking. Among those who consume alcohol excessively, AFLD is often the earliest form of alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) encountered.

Prevalence of Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease...

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), comprising a spectrum of diseases ranging from alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) to advanced ALD (including alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and cirrhosis complications), is a leading cause of mortality in the United States

Alcoholic & Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) occurs in the setting of chronic alcohol use. Ethanol is metabolized to acetaldehyde in the liver by the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the conversion of acetaldehyde & NAD+ to acetate & NADH. Excessive alcohol intake depletes NAD+, resulting in insufficient NAD+ for fatty acid beta oxidation, leading to fatty acid accumulation in the liver. Acute symptoms (hangover) develop due to the accumulation of acetaldehyde. Repeated ingestion of ethanol exacerbates the chronic shortage of NAD+, eventually leading to the buildup of fat in the liver known as steatosis. Histologically, steatosis appears as hepatocytes filled with vesicles of fat, described as microvesicular steatosis or macrovesicular steatosis depending on the size of the fat globules.

Clinical differences between alcoholic liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are serious health problems worldwide. These two diseases have similar pathological spectra, ranging from simple hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although most subjects with excessive alcohol or food intake experience simple hepatic steatosis, a small percentage of individuals will develop progressive liver disease. Notably, both ALD and NAFLD are frequently accompanied by extrahepatic complications, including cardiovascular disease and malignancy. The survival of patients with ALD and NAFLD depends on various disease-associated conditions.

Do All Alcoholics Develop Fatty Liver Disease?

Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) is a quiet disease that often goes undiagnosed until it has progressed into a significantly more severe problem. People who drink excessively or are addicted to alcohol are prone to fatty liver. While fatty liver itself may not be deadly, it is the first sign that a more serious diagnosis is yet to come. The good news is that alcoholic fatty liver can be reversed if people stop drinking and start taking care of their bodies. Unfortunately, simply stopping drinking isn’t that simple for some people.

Fatty Liver, NASH, and Alcoholic Liver Disease

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) comprises a wide spectrum of liver diseases consisting of alcoholic fatty liver (steatosis), alcoholic hepatitis (AH), and cirrhosis. They are often considered separate, histological manifestations of ALDs with overlapping features. Alcoholic fatty liver is the initial and the most common consequence of excessive alcohol consumption. Fatty liver is potentially reversible.

What happens to your liver when you quit alcohol

If you stop drinking and only have a fatty liver, it can quickly turn back to normal. If you had a scarred liver (cirrhosis) to start with, stopping alcohol will allow some healing and improved function but can’t undo all the damage that has already been done. If you want to look after your liver, don’t drink alcohol. But if you must, drink in moderation and have two to three alcohol-free days each week. That way, you won’t have to rely on the liver’s magical self-healing power to stay healthy.