A new study from the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has revealed how long-term heavy drinking can cause severe and life-threatening damage to the liver.
The research focused on alcohol-associated hepatitis, a serious liver disease caused by many years of drinking large amounts of alcohol. This condition is more severe than other alcohol-related liver problems, such as cirrhosis or fatty liver disease.
People with alcohol-associated hepatitis often have a history of drinking heavily for more than ten years — for example, more than a six-pack of beer, a bottle of wine, or four shots of liquor per day. The disease is extremely dangerous: about 10% of patients die within a month of being diagnosed, and around 25% die within six months.
In the study, scientists examined blood and tissue samples from 106 people. This included 57 patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis and 49 others who either had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, other alcohol-related liver diseases like cirrhosis, or were healthy.
Using advanced mass spectrometry, the team measured more than 1,500 proteins in the blood of these participants.
The results were striking. Alcohol-associated hepatitis affected many proteins in the blood, but researchers identified 100 specific proteins that were noticeably altered in patients with the disease.
These proteins are linked to important body functions, including inflammation, immunity, blood clotting, and vital liver activities. The changes matched findings from earlier studies of liver tissue in similar patients.
One important discovery was the role of a molecule called HNF4A, which controls liver gene activity. HNF4A is also connected to other diseases, including pancreatic cancer and diabetes.
The altered proteins in the blood were directly linked to widespread disruptions in liver genes and proteins, showing a strong connection between these changes and liver function.
This study brings scientists closer to developing a blood test to detect alcohol-associated hepatitis. Such a test could help diagnose the disease earlier, allowing doctors to start treatment sooner. Researchers are now studying whether these protein changes could also be used to track how well patients respond to treatment.
Currently, steroids are often used to reduce liver inflammation in these patients, but they can also weaken the immune system and increase infection risk. Better ways to monitor and treat alcohol-associated hepatitis could improve survival rates and quality of life.
For those interested in health and wellness, other research has explored safe alcohol consumption levels and how low-carb diets may help reverse brain aging. Recent studies have also shown that vitamin K could lower the risk of heart disease by one-third, and certain medications might prevent lung and heart damage from COVID-19.
The study, led by biochemist Jon Jacobs, was published in the American Journal of Pathology.
If you care about liver health, please read studies about Healthy liver, happy life: new advice for keeping your liver in top shape and findings of Ibuprofen may have significant impact on the liver.
For more information about liver health, please read studies about Fatty liver disease linked to severe infections and findings of A new drug for weight loss and liver health.
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