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

A new study published in the Journal of Hepatology has found that maintaining a healthy diet and engaging in regular physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of liver-related death, even among individuals who engage in heavy or binge drinking. The research, conducted by a team led by Dr. Naga Chalasani from the Indiana University School of Medicine, emphasizes the critical role of lifestyle behaviors in mitigating the harmful effects of alcohol on the liver.

The study aimed to better understand how physical activity and diet interact with varying patterns of alcohol consumption in determining liver-specific mortality.

Using data from 60,334 adults from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers assessed participants' self-reported alcohol use—categorized as light, moderate, or heavy—alongside dietary habits and physical activity levels. These were then linked to mortality data from the National Death Index.

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