Advice Regarding Alcohol Use by Individuals With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Primum non nocere

Abstract

Individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) often ask their health care providers about routinely consuming non‐heavy amounts of alcohol for pleasure and potential health benefits. According to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Practice Guidance published in 2018, there are insufficient data to make a recommendation with regard to non‐heavy alcohol consumption by individuals with NAFLD.(1) Although several cross‐sectional studies have suggested that light alcohol consumption (on average, <1 drink per day) may have a beneficial effect on the presence and severity of NAFLD, a large meta‐regression analysis suggested that lower body mass index among light and moderate drinkers is a potential confounder and thus casts doubt on the rigor of those studies.