Regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week risks damaging your health.
The number of units in a drink is based on the size of the drink and its alcohol strength. New evidence around the impact of regular drinking has emerged in recent years.
We now have a better understanding of the link between drinking and some illnesses, including a range of cancers.
Did you or your loved-one previously drink to excess or binge-drink? Perhaps you have ongoing high alcohol consumption?
The previously held position that some level of alcohol was good for the heart has been revised & it’s now believed that the evidence of a protective effect is outweighed by the risks.
Two areas important to monitor with a history of alcohol excess are the liver & the heart. We are going to concentrate on the liver.
Alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) refers to liver damage caused by excess alcohol intake. There are several stages of severity and a range of associated symptoms.
Why is this a problem?
ARLD does not usually cause any symptoms until the liver has been severely damaged and by then the opportunity for you to control or reverse damage is long gone.
ARLD is frequently diagnosed during tests for other conditions, or at a stage of advanced liver damage.
If you previously have or now regularly drink alcohol to excess, consider checking to see if your liver is damaged – only £250 for a hospital grade scan!
Alcohol and the liver
The liver is one of the most complex organs in the body.
Its functions include:
- filtering toxins from the blood
- aiding digestion of food
- regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels
- helping fight infection and disease
The liver is very resilient and capable of regenerating itself. Each time your liver filters alcohol, some of the liver cells die.
So you want to know if you need to make lifestyle decisions sooner before it’s too late
The liver can develop new cells, but prolonged alcohol misuse (drinking too much) over many years can reduce its ability to regenerate. This can result in serious and permanent damage to your liver.
ARLD is common in the UK & Ireland. The number of people with the condition has been increasing over the last few decades as a result of increasing levels of alcohol misuse.
