Influence of light alcohol consumption on lifestyle-related diseases: a predictor of fatty liver with liver enzyme elevation in Japanese females with metabolic syndrome. Issue 1 (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sogabe, Masahiro; Okahisa, Toshiya; Nakagawa, Tadahiko; Fukuno, Hiroshi; Nakasono, Masahiko; Tomonari, Tetsu; Tanaka, Takahiro; Tanaka, Hironori; Taniguchi, Tatsuya; Muguruma, Naoki; Takayama, Tetsuji
• Is Part Of: BMC gastroenterology. Volume 16:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 10
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: Light alcohol consumption -- Fatty liver with ALT elevation -- Females -- Metabolic syndrome; Gastroenterology -- Periodicals; Gastrointestinal Diseases -- Periodicals; Biliary Tract Diseases -- Periodicals; Molecular Biology -- Periodicals; Liver Diseases -- Periodicals; 616.33005
• DOI: 10.1186/s12876-016-0431-6
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1471-230X

Abstract

Abstract Background Although heavy drinking is known to lead to liver injury, some recent studies have reported that light alcohol consumption (LAC) may play a protective role against fatty liver in the general population, and may even play a protective role against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in males with metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the association between LAC and fatty liver with liver enzyme elevation in females with MS is unclear. Methods Participants of this study were 20, 853 females who underwent a regular health check-up between April 2008 and March 2012 at our hospital. Enrolled subjects were 1141 females with MS, who underwent all necessary tests and drank less than 20 g/day of alcohol. We investigated the presence of fatty liver with liver enzyme elevation, defined in this study as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels ≧31 IU/I, and the association between LAC and fatty liver with ALT elevation. Results There was no significant difference in the prevalence of fatty liver and ALT between light drinkers and non-drinkers. The prevalence of individuals receiving a treatment for dyslipidemia and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) was significantly lower in light drinkers than in non-drinkers. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglyceride (TG), uric acid (UA), IGT, and visceral fat type MS (V-type MS) were significant predictors of the prevalence of fatty liver with ALT elevation in logistic regression analysis. The odds ratio [OR] (95 % confidence interval [CI], p value) for fatty liver with ALT elevation were as follows: BMI, 2.181 (1.445–3.293, p <0.001); WC, 1.853 (1.280–2.684, p <0.01); DBP, 1.604 (1.120–2.298, p <0.05); TG, 2.202 (1.562–3.105, p <0.001); UA, 2.959 (1.537–5.698, p <0.01); IGT, 1.692 (1.143–2.506, p <0.01); and V-type MS, 3.708 (2.529–5.437, p <0.001). Conclusions There was no significant difference in the prevalence of fatty liver with ALT elevation in females with MS between light drinkers and non-drinkers, suggesting that other factors such as BMI, WC, V-type MS, and lifestyle-related disease may be more important than LAC for the prevalence of fatty liver with ALT elevation.