Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have identified epigenetic protein changes caused by binge drinking, a discovery that could lead to treatments for alcohol-related liver diseases.
"We know that chronic alcohol use is damaging to the liver, but binge drinking amplifies that damage," said Shivendra Shukla, Ph.D., Margaret Proctor Mulligan Professor at the MU School of Medicine and lead author of the study.
Excessive alcohol use is one of the most common causes of chronic liver failure. Long-term liver damage from alcohol use is irreversible. Excessive alcohol use is also associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer and digestive problems.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume five or more drinks or women consume four or more drinks over a two-hour period.
"Our latest research shows that epigenetic modifications in histone structures occur within the liver as a result of heavy binge drinking," Shukla said. "Epigenetic alterations are changes in genes that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence or genetic code."
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