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What does binge drinking do to the liver? 

Category: Liver Diseases

The liver is a crucial part of the body. The liver filters the blood coming from the digestive tract before it is able to spread to the rest of the body. This is why it's important for individuals to undergo liver panel tests to make sure that this organ functions properly and is showing no signs of disease. If left untreated, liver failure can lead to death, so people should always be aware of what condition this vital organ is in.

There are many things that can damage the liver. For example, WebMD states that malnutrition and the viruses hepatitis B and C can all harm this organ, but one of the most common causes of liver failure is alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol over a long period of time can seriously impact your liver, and researchers are recently seeing exactly how damaging drinking can be. Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine recently found that binge drinking can dramatically harm this organ.

Binge drinking leads to big problems
The researchers set out to determine how binge drinking can impact alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Scientist Shivendra Shukla explained that if the liver is not working right, it may affect the heart, kidney, blood vessels and brain. Furthermore, the chemicals associated with ALD can impact the immune system and cardiovascular health.

Since the liver is the main organ that metabolizes alcohol, it works overtime to protect the rest of the body from the effects of excessive drinking, explained Samir Zakhari, senior vice president in the Office of Science at Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, who was also involved with the research.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines binge drinking as when men consume five or more drinks, and when women consume four or more drinks, in about two hours, but it varies depending on a person's body weight and size. Furthermore, one out of every six U.S. adults binge drinks about four times a month. Among college students, binge drinking is extremely common and can set young people up for a lifetime of an unhealthy relationship with alcohol if they do not stop. According to study authors, binge drinking is now a growing issue throughout the entire world, which is why they wanted to further examine its effects on the liver.

"Binge abuse is on the rise globally," said Shukla in a statement. "For example, about 43 percent of college students have reported at least one binge episode during the previous months. It is therefore necessary to fully understand its consequences at molecular levels. This is the first review that highlights the molecular pharmacology of binge drinking and how this may offer insight into binge-induced injury and its wider implications."

The scientists discovered that binge drinking alters the level of several cellular components in the liver, making it susceptible to disease. Furthermore, the researchers found that binge drinking not only seriously damages the liver, but other organs as well.

The damage doesn't stop there, either. Binge drinking can also cause mitochondrial damage, which may lead to cell death, giving people even more reason to avoid engaging in this dangerous habit.

Beyond the liver
The University of Rochester Medical Center states that along with damaging the liver, binge drinking can cause a host of other problems. For example, binge drinking can often lead to unintentional injuries such as car crashes, falls, burns, drowning and hypothermia. Furthermore, heart attack, gastritis, pancreatitis, sexually transmitted infections, homicide, suicide, child abuse, domestic violence and poor diabetes control can all result from binge drinking.