Liver and Alchohol

• Alcohol is metabolised by the liver to form products that may be toxic to the hepatocytes
• Alcohol consumption reduces cellular antioxidant activity, reducing the liver’s capacity for detoxification
• Over time, healthy liver cells are replaced by damaged cells, reducing the liver’s ability to:

  • Metabolise the body’s supply of carbohydrates, fats and proteins
  • Produce bile and recycle red blood cells
  • Transport materials around the body (blood flow becomes blocked to and from the liver)
• Long term alcohol abuse results in three primary effects upon the liver:

  • Inflammation: swelling of damaged liver tissue causes the liver to become enlarged
  • Fat accumulation: build up of fatty deposits in place of normal tissue, blocking blood flow
  • Cirrhosis: scar tissue is created by the deposition of collagen where tissue is damaged
• Stages of Liver Damage from Excessive Alcohol Consumption: