Alcohol-Induced Hepatic Injury in Nonalcoholic Volunteers

Abstract

Isocaloric substitution of alcohol for carbohydrate in young nonalcoholic volunteers rapidly led to hepatic fat accumulation and ultrastructural changes, both on a standard diet and on a diet high in protein and low in fat. The addition of alcohol to a normal diet for two days resulted in similar changes, which could not be prevented by a diet high in protein with minimal fat (5 per cent of total calories). Blood alcohol levels in every subject studied were almost all well below accepted legal limits for intoxication. The data indicate that in normal nonalcoholic people, alcohol itself is hepatotoxic, independent of nutritional factors. Nonalcoholic people are not less susceptible than alcoholic patients to the injurious effects of alcohol. Amounts of alcohol consumed by many "social" drinkers are enough to damage the liver, and one need never have been drunk to sustain alcohol-induced hepatic injury.