Scottsdale – The BBC reports a troubling new fact for obese alcoholics. Two studies of more than a million UK men and women suggest excess weight and alcohol act together to increase the risks of cirrhosis and other liver diseases. Obese women who drink little more than a glass of wine a day have almost double the risk of liver disease than non-obese females, the researchers said.

A similar effect is seen in men, the British Medical Journal reported. The authors of the research said “safe” alcohol limits for the overweight may need to be redefined. Rates of liver disease and obesity are increasing in the UK. Alcohol is a major cause of liver cirrhosis, a condition which leads to “hardening” of the liver, and there is mounting evidence that excess weight also plays a role.

In the first study, researchers at the University of Oxford studied more than a million middle-aged women in England and Wales.  They found that being overweight or obese increased the likelihood of developing liver cirrhosis. Dr Bette Liu of Oxford’s Cancer Epidemiology Unit said, “We estimate that almost 20% of liver cirrhosis in middle-aged UK women is due to excess weight, while almost 50% is due to alcohol consumption.”

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is the result of long-term damage to the liver (Source: BBC)

In the second study which followed more than 9,000 men in Scotland, the obese men who drank 15 or more units a week had the greatest risk of liver disease. This is almost 19 times higher than those who were slim.The medical investigators also said lower body mass index (BMI) specific “safe” limits of alcohol consumption may need to be defined.

Alison Rogers of the British Liver Trust, a charity which focuses on preventing adult liver disease, said the data showed a “double whammy effect” where two causes of liver disease both impact on a person’s liver together, and the impact is greater than the sum of the parts. A spokesperson said: “Prevention is always better than cure and our public health campaigns on drinking and obesity reflects this.”