Men and women differ in how alcohol affects liver and cancer risk
Consumption of alcoholic beverages has complex and diverse effects on human health with adverse impacts on hepatic, nervous and immune systems, potentially through multiple pathways. The current study provides epidemiological and proteomic (*) evidence that gender significantly modifies alcohol-induced health risks, with females exhibiting greater vulnerability to alcohol-associated liver disease and related cancers compared to males.
The research analysed data from 365,966 participants in the UK Biobank, focusing on the intake of alcoholic beverages and its association with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and alcohol-related cancers. A sub-group of 38,328 participants was used for plasma proteomic profiling. Participants self-reported their alcohol consumption through a standardized questionnaire. Weekly alcohol intake was quantified based on the average number of alcoholic drinks consumed and their alcohol content.
The study found that females show a greater susceptibility to alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and related cancers compared to males, even at lower alcohol intake levels. This suggests that lower consumption of alcoholic beverages in females does not equate to lower biological vulnerability.
- Females exhibited a 2.8-fold higher risk for ALD than men at 200 g/week of alcohol intake.
- The analysis also showed that increased alcohol intake was associated with higher risks for specific cancers, including oesophageal cancer, particularly when alcohol consumption exceeded 100 grams per week.
- Daily drinking and drinking without meals amplify ALD and cancer risks.
- CEACAM16 has been identified as a leading shared plasma protein mediator of ALD risk.
- Plasma proteomics reveals sex-specific pathways linking alcohol to ALD.
Biological background:
The proteomic analysis indicated that the biological mechanisms differ by gender. For males, the mediators were primarily linked to inflammatory pathways, while in females, they were characterized by functions related to structural and metabolic regulation, highlighting how alcohol intake may affect metabolic processes differently in females compared to males. These findings suggest that the biological mechanisms linking alcohol intake to health risks in females may involve impaired tissue integrity and signalling pathways.
In general, women metabolize alcohol more slowly and are more sensitive to it due to their body composition, lower levels of stomach enzymes, and hormones (such as oestrogen).
The researchers noted that despite males having a higher incidence of ALD and cancers, females may experience greater relative harm at comparable alcohol doses. Factors like differences in alcohol metabolism and hormonal influences could contribute to this disparity.
(*) Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins in a cell, tissue, or organism, particularly their functions, structures, and interactions within biological systems. It aims to understand the complete set of proteins expressed by a genome, known as the proteome. While genetics tells you what could happen (the instructions in your DNA), proteomics tells you what is actually happening right now in the body.
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/90a79324-522b-4263-8cd9-ea13a1946b79
