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How alcohol damages your liver

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The controversy linked to alcohol intake has been raging for many years. 

On the one hand, alcohol in moderation, can help you relax and has recently been found to lower the risk of mortality. 

On the other hand, soaring statistics of alcoholism and all its attendant ills, particularly in a country such as South Africa, paint a scary picture of “demon drink”.

A report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that “Consumption of nuts and soy and moderate alcohol intake appeared to be the most important independent contributors to decreased mortality [death] risks”.

We need to keep in mind the word “moderate” which was linked to alcohol intake in this study. The moderate alcohol limit for women is one drink and for men it's two drinks per day. 

The bad news
Excessively drinking alcohol has dire social and medical consequences, including trauma, abuse, loss of income and a wide spectrum of disease conditions. One of these issues is liver disease. The liver is the one organ in the body that’s most intimately involved with detoxification after excessive alcohol intake, and it’s, therefore, the organ that often suffers the most damage.

Alcoholic liver disease is probably the most common manifestation of liver disease. A toxic byproduct of excessive alcohol intake, is acetaldehyde which causes damage to the structure and function of the mitochondria in human body cells, particularly in the liver.


Are you vulnerable?
Some people are more susceptible to alcoholic liver disease than others. These factors have been identified as potential markers of susceptibility to alcoholic liver disease:

  • Genetic variations or polymorphisms of the enzymes that metabolise alcohol in the body.
  • Gender: women are more vulnerable to alcoholic liver disease than men. 
  • Simultaneous exposure to drugs that can harm the liver. 
  • Infections with viruses that attack the liver.
  • Poor diet and unhealthy eating.


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