June Russell's Health Facts

Alcohol - Liver

[Alcohol and Drugs]   [Effect on Metabolites and Hormones]   [Acetaldehyde]   [Amount of Alcohol Ingested]   [Migraines]  

The number two risk factor (after smoking) for cancer is alcohol. We use it to relax, but it hurts us. We poison ourselves in order to be happy? Drink even one beer and take a look at a slice of your liver under a microscope, you'll see death to liver cells. This is because the liver is trying to keep the poisons out of your bloodstream, and although the liver has the power to regrow, do we have to kill some liver cells in order to be happy? There just might be another option, a safer one.
{Sandra McClanahan, MD, Cancer Symposium in Charlottesville, Virginia, April 7, 2002}

Your liver has more than 300 separate functions, and a sluggish liver is "normal" in people who eat a standard American diet, says Ann Louise Gittleman in her 2002 book, "Fat Flush Plan."
{Women's Health Letter, Nan Kathyrn Fuchs, PhD, May 2002}  Editor's comment: Lessening or avoiding toxins, like alcohol, will help the liver function more efficiency.

Alcohol and Drugs

For those with liver problems, don't take alcohol, acetaminophen or most other drugs, because your liver has to do extra work to detoxify them.
{Richard P. Huemer, MD, “Who’s on call” column, Let’s Live, Nov. 1999}

If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis C virus, protect your liver by avoiding alcohol, caffeine, acetaminophen (Tylenol) and other toxins that hasten the destruction of the liver.
{“Health and Healing,” newsletter, Dr. Julian Whitaker, July 2000}

Many environmental factors can disrupt your liver's delicate inner workings. Aspirin, acetaminophen, antibiotics, steroids and many other drugs, including recreational drugs such as alcohol and marijuana, can strongly influence normal, healthy liver function.
{"Detoxify Your Liver," Letsliveonline.com - Jan. 2002}

You can take the load off the liver, which is regularly flooded with toxins, by avoiding alcohol and only using drugs like acetaminophen, a known liver toxin, when absolutely necessary.
{"Digestion problems," Women's Health Letter, Nan Katherine Fuchs, PhD, Feb. 2002}

Toxic Effects of Alcohol: Acetaldehyde

As the liver breaks down alcohol, by-products are formed, such as acetaldehyde, and some of them are more toxic to the body than alcohol itself.
{J Hepatology, 2000}

Hangovers are the result of alcohol’s toxicity. Acetaldehyde is approximately 30 times more toxic than alcohol, acetaldehyde is a major cause of alcohol-associated side effects.
{“Living with Alcohol,” Stephen Wm. Fowkes, Cognitive Enhancement Research Institute, 1996 issue of “Smart Drug News”}

According to the National Toxicology Program, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, acetaldehyde is listed as a suspected carcinogen.
{“Acetaldehyde chemical backgrounder,” nsc.org, Mar. 2004}

Acetaldehyde, is produced primarily in the liver, but also in other organs to a lesser extent. It binds to the walls of red blood cells and hitches a rise to all parts of the body, including the brain. By attaching itself to the red blood cells, it makes them more rigid and prevents them from entering the smaller capillaries. (The smaller capillaries are much smaller than a red blood cell and the cell is forced to stretch, elongate and squeeze its way through.) This reduces the oxygen supply to most of the cells of the body including the brain, which consumes 20% of all the oxygen we breathe. Acetaldehyde also combines with the hemoglobin in the red blood cells further reducing its ability to carry oxygen. Acetaldehyde induces deficiencies in vitamins B-1 (thiamine), B-3 (niacin), B-5 (pantothenic acid), NAD, acetyl coenzyme A, P5P (pyridoxal-5-phosphate), and inhibits prostaglandin synthesis.

B-1 deficiency can produce a syndrome characterized by mental confusion, poor memory, poor coordination and visual disturbances. Niacin deficiency symptoms include feeling fearful, apprehensiveness, worry, suspicion, and depression. Headaches, insomnia, agitation and inability to concentrate. Pyridoxal-5-phosphate is a major enzyme that is necessary in the formation of virtually all major brain neurotransmitters. It also regulates the entry of magnesium into cells and thereby controls the excitability of nerve cells. Acetaldehyde is known to promote the development of addiction to toxic substances. In addition to alcohol consumption, inhaling cigarette smoke or auto exhaust are other sources of acetaldehyde. The existence of certain strains of alcohol producing yeast in the G.I. Tract can also be a source.
{“The health benefits of red wine & resveratrol,” Advanced Health & Life Extension (advance-health.com), Dr. John Hill, 2002}

Alcohol and Effects on Metabolites and Hormones

Alcohol seems to interfere with the liver’s ability to metabolize hormones, such as renin and angiotensin, which are important for maintaining blood pressure control.
{Washington Post Health, Feb. 10, 1987}

Having one drink can cause acute liver inflammation. When the liver processes alcohol, the poison acetaldehyde is produced.
{“How to be your own nutritionist,” Stuart Berger, MD, 1987}

Drinking alcohol depletes a store of a liver peptide called GHS, which helps us detoxify chemicals.
{American Health, Jan./Feb. 1988}

Overwhelming evidence has proved that alcohol itself is toxic to the liver, even when nutrition is adequate. Much of the cell damage that occurs in liver degeneration is believed to be caused by free radicals, highly reactive molecular fragments, liberated during alcohol metabolism. The damage caused by free radicals can include the destruction of essential components of cell membranes. Acetaldehyde, the primary metabolic product of alcohol in the liver, appears to be the key generator of free radicals.
{“Alcohol and the liver,” Alcohol Alert, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Jan. 1993}

Cytokines are produced by liver cells and the immune system in response to infection or cell damage. Alcohol use increases cytokine levels. {J Stud Alcohol, 1998} In a normal liver, stellate cells function as storage depots for vitamin A. When activated by cytokines, stellate cells divide rapidly to increase their numbers. Activated stellate cells lose their vitamin A stores, and begin to produce scar tissue. They also constrict blood vessels, reducing the delivery of oxygen to liver cells.
{Clin Exp Res, 1996 and Alcohol Research World, 1997}

Alcohol spurs the liver to make more triglycerides, and even light drinking (2-4 oz. glasses of wine a week) can raise triglyceride levels.
{Diabetes Organization, Feb. 2000}

Since the liver is the primary site of alcohol metabolism, it is not surprising that it is particularly susceptible to alcohol-related injury. The injury to the liver comes from not only ethanol, but also from the dangerous products generated upon the metabolism of ethanol. These include acetaldehyde and highly reactive molecules called free radicals. If women drink more than 7 to 13 alcoholic drinks per week, the risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver is increased 17 times. For men, 4 to 27 drinks per week increase the risk seven times.
{"Alcohol, chemistry and you," Kennesaw State University, chemcases.com, Aug. 2002}

The liver breaks down most of the alcohol a person drinks. However, as the liver breaks down alcohol, by-products are formed such as acetaldehyde, and some of these by-products are more toxic to the body than alcohol itself. Long-term alcohol use abnormally prolongs the inflammatory process, which leads to an overproduction of free radicals, molecules that can destroy healthy liver tissue and interfere with important functions such as antioxidants. Antioxidants are one of the body’s natural defenses against free radical damage. This combination may lead to liver damage.
{J Hepatol, 2000 - “How alcohol damages the liver,” hepcchallenge.org, Nov. 2002}

Effects of Small Amounts of Alcohol

As little as one ounce of alcohol can damage the liver, resulting in fatty deposits.
{Steve Schechter, ND, Director of VitaLife Institute in Encinites, CA, and author of “Fighting Radiation and Chemical Pollutants with Foods, Herbs, and Vitamins,” Let’s Live magazine, Nov. 1991}

The liver is very sensitive to the acute affects of alcohol, and even relatively small amounts (1-2 oz.) can lead to an accumulation of fat in the liver cells, because when alcohol is present in the system, the liver devotes all its ‘attention’ to metabolizing it.
{“Understanding alcohol,” Jean Kinney, 1992}

Men and those who consume more than 10 grams (one-third of an ounce) of alcohol per day appear to be at higher risk of developing more severe liver disease.
{"Helping to control hepatitis C with diet and exercise," Healthnotes Newswire, healthwellexchange.com - Aug. 2002}  Editor's comment: one standard drink is about 10 grams of alcohol.

Role of the Liver in Migraines

The liver plays a role in migraines. If this vital organ is overloaded with toxic substances, it can cause inflammation that triggers migraine pain. To treat this problem avoid alcohol, caffeine, fat, and environmental chemical exposures.
{"Migraine treatments that really work," Jamison Starbuck, ND, Bottom Line Health newsletter, July 2002}