Even Heavy Drinkers Benefit: How Healthy Eating and Exercise Protect the Liver, Study Provides Insights

The findings were striking: Any amount of daily alcohol intake or binge drinking is associated with an increased risk of liver mortality. However, the study also found that “a healthy diet and increased physical activity lower the risk of liver-related death across all drinking patterns, even among heavy or binge drinkers.

Women were found to be at higher risk of liver-related death from alcohol but gained more protective benefits from healthy eating and exercise compared to men. Diets rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, and plant-based proteins—with reduced intake of unhealthy fats, sugars, and alcohol—were especially effective in lowering liver mortality risk.

Importantly, economically disadvantaged groups were identified as more vulnerable due to higher exposure to unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and risky alcohol use.

“We found that adherence to high levels of physical activity and/or diet quality was associated with a lower risk of liver-related death across all drinking patterns, including 36% and 69% liver mortality risk reduction from physical activity and 86% and 84% liver mortality risk reduction from healthier eating among heavy and binge drinkers, respectively,” says Dr. Chalasani.

Reference: Healthy eating and physical activity significantly lower sex-specific alcohol-attributable liver mortality in the United States, Vilar-Gomez, Eduardo et al., Journal of Hepatology, Volume 0, Issue 0