Not consuming alcohol is the most common recommendation of experts in liver diseases, or of the liver.
However, as it is considered unlikely for most patients, doctors are inclined to promote minimum consumption and ask that the prices of these drinks be increased.
During the most recent International Congress of the Liver that took place in London last week, professionals and specialists in this type of disease warned that
the most convenient thing is to spend three days of the week in a row without consuming alcohol,
according to the newspaper El Country of Spain.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 4.5 million Americans diagnosed with a liver disease that in "90% of cases is preventable," according to Vanessa Hebditch of the British Liver Trust organization.
Liver disease is among the leading causes of death for Americans, according to the CDC: Between 1999 and 2020, 51,642 patients died.
One of the most common diseases caused by alcohol consumption is cirrhosis, which has irreversible damage to this organ, according to the Mayo Clinic, and can cause high blood pressure, an increased tendency to get an infection and liver cancer.
People drinking beer.Getty Images
The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) emphasized responsible drinking, which consists
of a three-day break,
"never consume more than five units of alcohol at one time and no more than 10 at week".
It is important to keep in mind that
a glass of wine is equivalent to three units,
according to what Aleksander Krag, deputy general secretary of EASL, told El País.
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Furthermore, raising prices and reducing advertising and promotion causes a decrease in consumption, according to experts.
“It is well documented that the price of alcohol matters.
In Wales and Scotland they put a minimum price and consumption dropped overnight, ”Krag added to the publication.
Likewise, the expert questions the wide publicity that is given to these drinks and why there are not the same restrictions that exist with the promotion of tobacco.
“There is a reason why companies have a huge advertising budget.
But why is it legal to advertise alcohol?” asks the EASL deputy general secretary.
In Europe every year 287,000 people die from liver diseases that can be prevented with healthy eating habits.
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During the Congress, a call was also made for early diagnosis, since many of these diseases attack the young population and lack symptoms that require immediate medical attention.
"The majority of people with undiagnosed cirrhosis receive normal results in their blood tests,"
says the report obtained by El País.
For this reason, the World Health Organization recommends access to mobile scanners and blood tests.
