Belly fat more than doubles the risk for liver damage from alcohol, study finds

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Belly **** more than doubles the risk for liver damage from alcohol, study finds

Drinking alcohol if you have a large belly or diabetes more than doubles the risk of serious liver damage, while having high blood pressure and drinking nearly doubles the risk, a new study found.

That’s important news to consider this Super Bowl Sunday, said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, who was not involved in the study.

“People are going to do exactly what they shouldn’t do, and poison themselves during the Super Bowl,” Freeman said. “Particularly during big football games, people will eat things like hot dogs, sausage, bacon, pepperoni and ham — and these processed meats are in the same category as cigarettes for ******* risk.

“When you’re eating all these highly processed, high ****, high sugar foods, insulin goes into overdrive, which creates insulin resistance, then excess blood sugar, and then fatty liver,” Freeman added. “Then if you’re drinking on top of it, it just amplifies the risk.”

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of 35 inches or more for women and 40 inches or more for men, which is often associated with obesity, is one of several

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that also include high blood sugar and elevated blood pressure.

Nearly half of all Americans have

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, more than 1 in 3

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while about 40% of the population is

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, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These health conditions contribute to a buildup of **** in the liver, experts say, which can then lead to fibrosis, or scarring of the liver.

“Most people don’t realize this, but before one develops diabetes, for example, they typically first develop fatty liver,” Freeman said. “It has to do with sugar dysregulation — when you have high blood sugars, your liver is storing **** to get rid of some of that sugar, and it’s that excess **** that impairs liver function.”

Separately,

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trying to metabolize alcohol and can lead to additional **** buildup. The inflammation and scarring caused by excess **** may eventually lead to

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, which increases the risk of liver failure and liver *******.

This double whammy of fatty deposits may be a reason behind the significant increase in liver scarring the study found among moderate to heavy drinkers with chronic conditions, said lead study author Dr. Brian Lee, an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine.

“The results identify a very high-risk segment of the population prone to liver disease and suggest that preexisting health issues may have a large impact on how alcohol affects the liver,” Lee said in a statement.

Just because a person may not have a big belly, high blood pressure or diabetes does not mean that it’s safe for people to heavily consume alcohol, Lee said.

“We know that alcohol is toxic to the liver and all heavy drinkers are at risk for advanced liver disease,” Lee said.

What is a ‘heavy’ drinker?

The study, published recently in the journal of

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analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national government survey of nearly 41,000 people. Of those, over 2,200 were categorized as “heavy” drinkers.

In the study, women who drank more than 0.7 ounces (20 grams) or more a day and men who drank 1.05 ounces (30 grams) or more a day were defined as heavy drinkers.

.However, that amount of alcohol is typically considered to be “moderate” drinking,

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. A

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in the United States is defined as 0.6 ounces (14 grams) of pure liquor.

That’s equivalent to 5 ounces of wine with 12% alcohol, a 12-ounce can of beer that is 5% alcohol or 1.5 ounces (one shot) of liquor (80 proof) or distilled spirts. Most people don’t realize they are pouring drinks that far exceed those standards, experts say.

“If you look at what people drink with dinner or as a *********, they’re filling up their glass with three or four ounces,” Freeman said. “If a restaurant came out and poured you five ounces of wine, you’d complain that they didn’t fill your glass. People are probably drinking much more than they realize.”

An alarming number of new studies are finding that any amount of alcohol is dangerous to health. In January, then-US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a

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about the link between alcohol and *******.

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of ******* responsible for about 100,000 cases of ******* and 20,000 ******* deaths annually in the United States – greater than the 13,500 alcohol-associated traffic ****** fatalities per year in the US – yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk,” Murthy said.

However, only 45% of Americans surveyed by the

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in 2019 said they believed that drinking alcohol causes *******, the new advisory notes.

How to cut back on alcohol

One easy way is to substitute mocktails for alcohol, especially in a social setting where you want to feel part of the party. Some mocktails rely on manufactured non-alcoholic spirits, botanicals and bitters but others are simple mixtures of fruit juice, soda, and syrup,

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If you find mocktails don’t satisfy your urges for alcohol, experts suggest using the SMART method to set attainable goals. The acronym stands for:

1. Specific: Set an achievable goal, such as cutting back on drinking three days a week. You can add days until you reach your final goal.

2. Measurable: How many drinks will you cut — and are you watching the size of your drink?

3. Achievable: Reduce the number of social engagements where alcohol is likely to be served during your move toward becoming alcohol free.

4. Relevant: Ask yourself how not drinking will help you with with life and health.

5. Time based: Set a reasonable time frame to reduce alcohol consumption.

“If you set a bar too high, you may fail, so it’s better to set smaller goals to achieve it,” Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist based in New York City, told CNN

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.

To start, Hafeez noted, it’s good to be aware of what you’re already doing: “Nothing starts without an honest conversation with yourself.”

CNN’s Ben Tinker, Meg Tirrell and Brenda Goodman contributed to this story.

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#Belly #**** #doubles #risk #liver #damage #alcohol #study #finds

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