High intake of alcoholic beverages can increase risk of liver cancer in patients with fatty liver disease
This is the first study to demonstrate that high to excessive intake of alcoholic beverages has a marked effect on the incidence of liver cancer in patients with fatty liver disease.
The effect of ethanol consumption on liver cancer in patients with fatty liver disease (FLD) is not clear.
Japanese researchers investigated the influence of different levels of alcohol intake on liver cancer in a large number of Japanese patients with fatty liver disease diagnosed by ultrasound. A multivariate analysis showed a significantly increased annual incidence for liver cancer only when patients consumed more than 40 g of ethanol per day.
Kawamura Y, Arase Y, Ikeda K, et al. Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Hepatocarcinogenesis in Japanese Patients With Fatty Liver Disease. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2016 Apr;14(4):597-605.
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