Binge drinking just once a month may triple your risk of liver scarring
Why it matters: Binge drinking just once a month triples the risk of advanced liver fibrosis for one in three adults with MASLD.
- Keck Medicine of USC research, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, indicates that episodic heavy drinking significantly increases the risk of liver fibrosis.
- Individuals with MASLD, a condition affecting one in three adults, are three times more likely to develop advanced liver fibrosis if they engage in monthly binge drinking compared to those who spread out the same total alcohol intake.
- Dr. Brian P. Lee, a hepatologist and principal investigator, emphasizes that physicians and the public need to be more aware of the dangers of occasional heavy drinking, even among otherwise moderate drinkers.
New research from Keck Medicine of USC reveals that even occasional binge drinking, defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more for men in a single day at least once a month, can triple the risk of advanced liver scarring, particularly for individuals with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This finding challenges the traditional medical focus on total alcohol consumption, highlighting the significant danger of drinking patterns.
