Scientists say binge drinking causes epigenetic changes in histone structures in the liver.
“Epigenetic alterations are changes in genes that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence or genetic code,” says Shivendra Shukla, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine.
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.
“We know that chronic alcohol use is damaging to the liver, but binge drinking amplifies that damage,” says Shukla, lead author of the new study.
