In a new study, scientists examined how physical activity and the quality of the nutrition interact with different levels and patterns of alcohol consumption – with the result that healthy food and more frequent sport lowers the risk of liver -associated mortality related to alcohol.
The authors had evaluated data from a large multi -ethnic cohort in the USA for their comprehensive work. According to their information, the results indicate that it is important to take into account other behaviors than alcohol consumption if one wants to estimate the risk of mortality in connection with alcohol -associated liver diseases at the population level.
Unclear picture from older studies
As can be seen from a message on the occasion of the publication of the study, more than half (53%) of adults have regularly drink alcohol and around 178,000 people from excessive consumption. Older epidemiological studies indicate that low alcohol consumption (1 or 2 drinks daily) could be related to a lower risk of cardiovascular and liver -related outcomes as well as for cancer. These results would have to be interpreted carefully, the authors of the work currently being published in the “Journal of Hepatology” explains: disruptive factors and non -recorded parameters that affect lifestyle could differ significantly between abstinements and people with easy to moderate alcohol consumption and influence health risk.
“There is a significant knowledge gap in terms of nutritional patterns and physical activity with the liver -specific mortality that is attributable to alcohol consumption,” explains main author Dr. Naga Chalasani from the Gastroenterology and Hepatology department at Indiana University School of Medicine. “We do not yet understand whether a healthy diet or an increased physical activity can explain the differences that are observed in terms of liver -specific mortality risk between abstinements and people with low or moderate alcohol consumption.” The doctor adds: “What is even more important: it is still unclear whether healthy eating and sport can reduce liver-specific mortality in people with high-risk consumption-how severe alcohol abuse or noise-drinking.”
Effects of good nutrition and sport
For this study, data on 60,334 adults from the Nhanes study (US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) were analyzed and linked it to the National Death Index, the alcohol consumption assessed by the participants (light, moderate or strongly according to the criteria of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse Abuse Abuse Abuse Abuse Abuse and Alcoholism) Eating index and information on the level of physical activity.
The researchers found that a lot of daily alcohol consumption or noise was associated with an increased liver mortality risk. A healthy diet and increased physical activity lowered the likelihood of a liver -related death across all dimensions of alcohol consumption – even with strong or intoxication.
It was also to be observed that women were exposed to a significantly higher risk of liver-associated death with alcohol consumption than men, but from physical activity and healthy nutrition and a resulting better protection of the liver were able to benefit even if they drank alcohol regularly.
Another knowledge from the study is: a diet with lots of vegetables, fruit, grain, seafood, vegetable proteins and healthy fats while reducing “empty calories” from solid fats, alcohol and added sugar is strongly associated with less risk of liver -related death. Finally, the investigation also showed that economically disadvantaged population groups with greater probability have risky alcohol consumption, eat unhealthy and move too little – with an increased liver -related mortality.
“We found that a high degree of physical activity and/or a healthy diet with a lower risk of liver -related deaths was connected to all drinking habits,” summarizes Chalasani. “Among other things, physical activity reduced the liver death risk of 36 and 69 percent, and a healthier diet by 86 or 84 percent in strong drinkers and noise drinkers.” He emphasizes: “The unique thing about our study is that you evaluate the moderating effects of two important lifestyles on the liver death risk over different levels and patterns of alcohol consumption in a representative US population.