Over time, excessive drinking can lead to several chronic conditions, such as fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. But there’s new evidence that aerobic exercise may protect the liver.
“Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the most common causes of chronic liver failure,” says Jamal Ibdah, professor of medicine and chair in cancer research at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
“We know from previous research that chronic and binge drinking causes modifications to protein structures within the liver, resulting in irreversible damage. In our current study we wanted to see whether increased levels of aerobic fitness could prevent alcohol-related liver damage.”
For the study, published in the journal Biomolecules, researchers used rats bred for high activity, or “runner rats,” to test if increased metabolism protected the liver against fatty deposits and inflammation.
One group of rats was exposed to chronic alcohol use for six weeks and compared to a second group that was not exposed to alcohol during the same time period.
