The studies on alcohol’s effects on liver

Author, yearStudy designNumber of patientsAlcohol amount and durationConclusion
Roerecke et al, 2019 [19]Systematic review and meta-analysis2.5 million participants, 5,500 cirrhosis> 1 drinks/day for women; ≥ 5 drinks/day for menThe risk increased beyond consumption of one drink or more per day. However, risks varied widely and the analysis of case-control studies showed no risk increase for consumption of 1–4 drinks/day
Simpson et al, 2019 [30]Prospective cohort study401,806 middle-aged female≥ 15 drinks/week (mean 220 g alcohol)Cirrhosis incidence increases with total alcohol intake, even at moderate levels of consumption
Sinn et al, 2022 [43]Nationwide cohort study367,612 patients without liver disease< 40 g/day for women, < 60 g/day for menSmall amounts of alcohol intake were associated with increased liver-related and all-cause mortality among individuals with elevated ALT levels
Mitchell et al, 2018 [44]Case-control187 biopsy-proven NAFLD< 70 g/weekModest (1–70 g/week) alcohol consumption, particularly wine in a non-binge pattern, is associated with lower fibrosis in patients with NAFLD
Ferri et al, 2022 [45]Case-control276 patients with NAFLD (alcohol consumption up to 140 g/week for women; 210 g/week for men)< 70 g/weekVery low alcohol usage is associated with a lower prevelance of cirrhosis and HCC in patients with NAFLD
Llamosas-Falcón et al, 2024 [46]Systematic review and meta-analysis5 million participants, 15,150 liver cirrhosis> 25 g/dayAlcohol consumption over 25 g/day is associated with higher morbidity and mortality rates in liver cirrhosis. Additionally, this relation is positively correlated with alcohol amount per day
Åberg et al, 2020 [47]Follow-up cohort8,345 patients with hepatic steatosis10–19 g/dayDoubled the risk for advanced liver disease compared to lifetime abstainers. 0–9 g/day intake is associated with 21% all-cause mortality risk reduction
Zhu et al, 2024 [33]Retrospective cohort2,630 patients with MAFLD≥ 8 drinks/week for women and ≥ 15 drinks/week for menHigher weekly alcohol consumption was significantly associated with all-cause and cause-specific mortality. > 2 drinks/week is associated with all-cause mortality
Israelsen et al, 2024 [34]Prospective cohort446 patients with excessive alcohol intake> 24 g/day for women and > 36 g/day for menThe risk of decompensation increased in a stepwise manner from MASLD, through Met ALD, to ALD

ALD: alcoholic liver disease; ALT: alanine transaminase; HCC: hepatocellular carcinoma; MAFLD: metabolic-associated fatty liver disease; MASLD: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease; MetALD: metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-related liver disease; NAFLD: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease