From the Editor's desk…: May 2015

SELECTION OF THE MONTHDaily drinking and consuming more than 14 units of alcohol per week increases risk of alcoholic cirrhosisDeaths from liver disease have increased dramatically over the past 30 years and one of the culprits for this increase is excessive alcohol consumption. Using the Danish Cancer, Diet, and Health study, which included 55,917 participants over an 8-year period, Askgaard and colleagues showed that daily drinking was worse than drinking 3-4 days per week and the risk of liver cirrhosis started at 14 units consumption per week. This is important given that the current recommendation regarding safe limits of alcohol is 21 units per week. Clearly, current recommendations will need to be revisited. Also the study provided novel data showing that compared to beer and liquor, wine might be associated with a lower risk of alcoholic cirrhosis.Download high-res image (125KB)Download full-size image