A study conducted by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory reveals the profound health implications of long-term alcohol consumption.
The research focused on the protein activity in the blood of patients suffering from alcohol-associated hepatitis, a severe form of liver disease resulting from heavy, prolonged alcohol consumption.
Alcohol-associated hepatitis is more severe than other alcohol-induced liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis and fatty liver.
Approximately 10% of patients diagnosed with alcohol-associated hepatitis die within a month, and about 25% die within six months.
Study Details
The study involved an analysis of blood or tissue samples from 106 individuals, including 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.
The researchers utilized sensitive mass spectrometry to measure more than 1,500 proteins in the blood of the study participants.
They identified a group of 100 proteins that were altered in patients, appearing to drive the specific disease.
These proteins affected a wide range of bodily functions, including inflammation, immunity, clotting, and fundamental liver function.
Link to HNF4A Molecule and Blood-based Biomarker Development
The altered proteins in patients’ blood were found to correlate directly with the dysregulation of genes and proteins in the liver.
This suggests a linkage between disease-specific protein blood expression and liver function.
Both studies underscored the critical role of a molecule known as HNF4A, a central hub of liver gene activity also involved in diseases like pancreatic cancer and diabetes.
The research is a crucial step towards developing a blood-based biomarker – a blood test – that could diagnose alcohol-associated hepatitis.
The team is conducting further studies to determine whether the same protein changes could be used to monitor patients’ responses to treatment.
Need for Further Studies
Current treatment for alcohol-associated hepatitis typically involves steroids to reduce inflammation, but this leaves patients susceptible to infection.
Therefore, this study’s findings could open up new avenues for more effective and safer treatment strategies.
Those interested in wellness might find it helpful to read studies on the effects of high alcohol consumption and the potential benefits of a low-carb diet on reversing brain aging.
Additionally, recent studies suggest that vitamin K may reduce heart disease risk by a third, and certain drugs may prevent respiratory and heart damage in COVID-19.
The study, led by biochemist Jon Jacobs, was published in the American Journal of Pathology.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
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