Although excess alcohol consumption has been associated with liver cirrhosis, high blood pressure, heart disease and impaired kidney function, a moderate amount of alcohol has shown to provide a few health benefits. Drinking a glass of wine daily might reduce your risk for developing fatty liver disease.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease refers to the accumulation of fat in the liver when alcohol isn't involved. Although non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is asymptomatic, it may cause inflammation of the liver that may progress to liver disease over time. Risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease include high cholesterol, obesity, metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes, according to MayoClinic.com.
Epidemic
The increased rates of diabetes and obesity, both factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, may push non-alcoholic fatty liver disease to epidemic status in the near future, according to research presented at the 2011 International Liver CongressTM. Scientists reviewed data regarding non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adults and observed that the disease has doubled over a 10-year period. If these rates continue, non-alcoholic liver disease will be a future epidemic, according to the Science Daily.
Glass of Wine
Drinking a glass of wine daily may decrease your risk for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California. They studied the relationship between alcohol consumption and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Scientists observed that participants who drank one glass of wine daily were less likely to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease than those who were non-drinkers. The findings were reported in the June 2008 issue of "Hepatology."
Resveratrol
One of the reasons wine might reduce your risk for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is because of its high amount of resveratrol, an antioxidant compound. Scientists at the University of Country Basque in Spain discovered that rats fed a diet with 10 mg of resveratrol were less likely to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease compared with those who the same diet without resveratrol, according to research published in the September 2008 issue of "BMC Gastroenterology."
References
- MayoClinic.com; Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; February 2011
- Science Daily; New Data Show Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Will Reach Epidemic Status in the US; April 2011
- "Hepatology"; Modest Wine Drinking and Decreased Prevalence of Suspected Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; W. Dunn et al.; June 2008
- "BMC Gastroenterology"; Resveratrol Inhibits Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Rats; L. Bujanda et al.; September 2008
