Binge-pattern alcohol consumption and genetic risk as determinants of alcohol-related liver disease

Individuals who binge drink and have a certain genetic makeup are six times more likely to develop alcohol-related cirrhosis, according to new research from UCL, the Royal Free Hospital, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.
The study, published in Nature Communications, is the first to assess how an individual’s pattern of drinking, their genetic profile (via a polygenic risk score) and whether or not they have type-2 diabetes affects their risk of developing alcohol-related cirrhosis (ARC).
In the study, researchers analysed data from 312,599 actively drinking adults in the UK Biobank cohort, to assess the impact of pattern of drinking, genetic predisposition and type-2 diabetes on the likelihood of developing ARC.
A baseline hazard ratio (HR) of one was set using data from participants who reported drinking within daily limits, had low genetic predisposition to ARC and were free of diabetes.
Those who engaged in heavy binge drinking, which is categorised as having 12 units in a day at some point during a week, were three times as likely to develop alcohol-related cirrhosis. The risk for those with a high genetic predisposition was four times higher and the risk for type-2 diabetics was two times higher.
When heavy binge drinking and high genetic predisposition were at play, the risk of developing alcohol-related cirrhosis was six times higher than the baseline risk. The addition of type-2 diabetes as well resulted in an even greater risk.
The observation that pattern of drinking is more important than volume, coupled with the increased risk when genetic makeup and type-2 diabetes are also present, provides more accurate information with which to identify those most vulnerable to liver disease.
Source: Ding, C., Ng Fat, L., Britton, A. et al. Binge-pattern alcohol consumption and genetic risk as determinants of alcohol-related liver disease. Nat Commun 14, 8041 (2023).