Excess Weight Raises Risk for Liver Disease

Earlier research suggests that excessive weight raises risks for developing liver disease and for dying from it. However, the interaction between excessive weight and alcohol consumption in causing liver disease is less clear. The results of two recent studies shed new light on these associations.

Scottish investigators analyzed prospective data from 9600 men (mean age at study entry, 47), who were followed for a median 29 years. After adjustment for multiple variables, death from liver disease was associated significantly with increasing body-mass index (BMI) and with increasing alcohol consumption. Furthermore, a synergistic interaction between BMI and alcohol consumption was observed: Compared with underweight or normal-weight nondrinking men, men who drank ≥15 units of alcohol weekly had progressively higher death rates from liver disease as their weight increased (relative rates, 3.2 for underweight or normal-weight men, 7.0 for overweight men, and 18.9 for obese men).

Other U.K. researchers analyzed prospective data from 1.2 million women (mean age, 56) with mean follow-up of 6 years. Increasing BMI was associated with increasing risk for cirrhosis: For women who drank <70 g of alcohol weekly (about 0.4 drinks daily), absolute risk for cirrhosis per 1000 women was 0.8 for those with normal BMIs and 1.0 for those who were obese; for women who drank >150 g of alcohol weekly, corresponding risks were 2.7 and 5.0.