The risk of cirrhosis is 3.5 times higher in those who drink alcohol every day, compared to those who drink less, according to a Danish study.
It is not just the amount of alcohol that is important in the development of cirrhosis. The frequency of consumption is just as important. This is the conclusion of a large Danish study published Monday in the Journal of Hepatology.
Gro Askgaard of Copenhagen University Hospital and his colleagues combed through the data of nearly 56,000 of their fellow citizens aged 50 to 64. Of these, 257 men and 85 women developed cirrhosis of the liver. But no cases have been observed in people who have never had a drop of alcohol.
Cirrhosis is a liver disease mainly linked to alcohol consumption, but which can also be caused by viruses (such as hepatitis B and C) or the consumption of certain medications. Fibrosis is created which prevents the liver from functioning properly. It can no longer filter the blood or produce bile. Cirrhosis is associated with a risk of liver cancer within 15 to 20 years.
Wine and less harmful old consumption
The Danish study shows that people who drink alcohol every day have a 3.65 times higher risk of developing cirrhosis compared to those who drink only two to four days a week. The risk was all the more important as alcohol consumption was recent, that is to say among the oldest (40-59 years).
The type of alcohol consumed also has an influence. Wine has been found to be less deleterious to the liver than beer and strong spirits. Thus, in men who drank mainly wine, the risk of cirrhosis was 1.2 times higher for drinking 14 to 28 drinks per week compared to drinking less than 14 drinks per week. This risk was multiplied by 7.5 in drinkers consuming very little wine (less than 1% of total alcohol consumption).
Researchers have not yet identified any mechanisms that could explain these observations. Daily exposure of the liver to alcohol “could reinforce the damage to the organ or prevent its regeneration,” they suggest.
.
