Nutrition and alcoholic liver disease

Abstract

Summary Mounting interest in the potential value of nutritional therapy in the treatment of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has arisen as a result of the growing body of evidence implicating nutritional intervention as a key player in ameliorating ALD. This review will focus on the involvement of nutrition in the pathogenesis of ALD, with extended focus on the role of micronutrients in the intervention or prevention of ALD. Oxidative damage is a major pathway in the initiation of ALD, and as such, many micronutrients have protective roles owing to their antioxidant properties. This can be either a direct action by scavenging free radicals or an indirect one elicited by increasing the synthesis or recycling of glutathione, the main intracellular antioxidant molecule. Micronutrients should be consumed as part of an energy‐sufficient (at least 1400 kcal/day), macronutrient‐based diet, as ALD progresses more quickly in people who have substituted a normal diet with alcohol, as opposed to those who drink alcohol in addition to their daily diet. Discontinuing alcohol consumption will enhance recovery, although this is not always possible with alcohol‐addicted patients. In conclusion, an energy‐sufficient diet high in vitamins and minerals will help protect against the formation and progression of ALD. However, alcohol abstinence is the recommended course of action to aid any recovery.