The modest alcohol consumption reduces the incidence of fatty liver in men: A population-based large-scale cohort study

The modest alcohol consumption reduces the incidence of fatty liver in men: A population-based large-scale cohort study

Journal Article

2015

Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Australia)

30

3

546 - 552

2015

08159319 (ISSN)

Background and Aim: Recent cross-sectional studies have been reported the possibility that light to moderate alcohol consumption might be negatively associated with fatty liver. However, there has been no large-scale longitudinal study addressing an impact of alcohol consumption on a development of fatty liver diagnosed by ultrasonography. Thus, we investigated the impact of alcohol consumption on a natural history of fatty liver. Methods: We analyzed 5437 apparently healthy Japanese who received the health checkup programs repeatedly over 10 years. In this study, we used a standardized questionnaire for addressing the medical history and lifestyle and used a standardized ultrasonographic diagnosis for fatty liver. The total amount of alcohol consumed per week was calculated and classified into four grades; none or minimal, light, moderate, or heavy alcohol consumption (<40, 40-140, 140-280 or >280g/week, respectively). The hazard risks of alcohol consumption for the development of fatty liver were calculated by Cox hazard model after adjusting age, BMI, and parameters for lifestyle. Results: During 10 years of follow-up, fatty liver was continuously diagnosed just in 10% of men and 20% of women with fatty liver at the baseline. In men, the adjusted hazard risks of light and moderate alcohol consumption for the development of fatty liver were 0.72 (95% confidence interval 0.60-0.86, P<0.001) and 0.69 (0.57-0.84, P<0.001), respectively. However, they were not significant in women. Conclusions: The newly onset of fatty liver was significantly repressed in apparently healthy men who consume light to moderate alcohol.