Liver Disease

[Jhanananda]

I thought of Michel when I read the article Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: America’s Greatest Health Risk of 2015? in Scientific American.

Today, up to 25 percent of people in the U.S. are living with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to the American Liver Foundation. NAFLD is a medical condition associated with obesity that can eventually lead to other liver conditions or even liver failure. In less than a decade, NAFLD will likely become the number one cause of liver transplants in the country, and demand will continue to overwhelm the supply of livers available.

NAFLD presents a major health risk because it is linked to several of our society’s toughest health issues.  The disease, which describes the accumulation of excess fat in the liver, closely correlates with the obesity epidemic. Yet NAFLD has also become intertwined with our country’s fixation on alcohol consumption and binge drinking because both put great stress on our livers. For Americans with NAFLD, drinking too much can pose an especially serious risk of liver damage.

Today, about one third of Americans are obese, with rates expected to top 60 percent in thirteen U.S. states by 2030, according to a recent report issued jointly by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. A genetic predisposition to obesity or diabetes, lack of exercise and poor diet—all of which remain major health issues in the U.S.—are all contributing factors to NAFLD. Rates of the disease are expected to continue to rise and will pose a major health risk to many Americans in coming years. But the disease is far from unbeatable. NAFLD is well worth taking a closer look at because it is both preventable and reversible in most cases.

[Michel]

Thanks for the link, Jhananda.

I have cirrhosis of the liver which is a much more serious disorder. My doctors tell me that the damage is irreversible. At first they thought I was going to die, and later they thought I was going to need a transplant. These doctors are so melodramatic is my diagnosis. They love to terrorize you with all sorts of things. But somehow I'm still here. There's enough liver left to perform most of the vital functions.

This article explains the difference between non- fatty liver disease, alcohol fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis of the liver.

http://alcoholrehab.com/alcoholism/fatty-liver-alcoholic-liver-disease/

[Jhanananda]

Thank-you, Michel, for telling us more about your liver condition.  What I see in these liver conditions, which I am sure you will agree with, is they are the product of addiction. Thus, if we could overcome our addictions, then we can solve a major source of suffering for ourselves.  I believe that you will also agree that Contemplative Recovery is a reasonable solution to suffering caused by addiction.

[Michel]

I had to stop my relationship with booze after it became evidently clear that to continue drinking would mean death. For some reason I wanted to live. Probably I was just scared of dying. What is very unusual about my case is that I went from drinking an average of 16 beers a day to 0 over a period of 3 weeks. Strangely enough I had absolutely no withdrawal effects. Everyone was pressuring me to go to AA, etc. I told everyone I didn't need to, and I was right. I had no craving for alcohol at all. So due to my unique biology stopping completely was very easy. I also came to the conclusion that there was no psychological dependence either. So I did not need something like the 12 step program. But some people would. Then 6 weeks after stopping the booze I became manic for 3 months straight followed by a 7 month depression which ended when I began a meditation practice and a spiritual quest which eventually brought me here to the GWV.

As you know I have not figured out a way of discontinuing my various meds. I have no support from my family and the doctors. The trauma of withdrawal would be dangerous for someone in my state of health as I've already posted elsewhere.

[Jhanananda]

Thank-you so much, Michel, for giving us more information about your past addiction, and your current condition.  While, 16 (12oz?) beers/day is excessive, I do not see how that volume could possibly lead to cirrhosis of the liver; because beer is 95% water.  However, I do suspect your psychiatric meds might have exacerbated your condition. 

This does make me curious as to what level of alcohol consumption leads to medical problems.  For instance 2 of the criminals that I had evicted from the complex that I rent in here in Sedona did have chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, and they both spent most of the day drinking beer.  I just could not understand how drinking beer alone back-to-back from rising to going to sleep could lead to chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, but perhaps I am naive about alcoholism.

[Michel]

Looking back it seems I wasn't addicted at all since in my case there was no physical dependency. I thought I was though. 

The experts like the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC) tell us that around 4 drinks a day over a period of time is all that it takes to cause cirrhosis.

See here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/487756-how-many-drinks-per-day-cause-cirrhosis-of-the-liver/

16 beers is about 9.6 ounces of alcohol if my math is correct. I drank this amount for some 11 years every day.

I wasn't taking any medication during those 11 years. I theorize that the booze which has a depressant effect kept my mania in check since when I stopped drinking I became manic within a month.

Before going to bed I would drink a glass of water mixed with maybe some 5 tbls of sodium bicarbonate. So there was never any heart burn or gastrointestinal bleeding. Sodium bicarbonate is very effective for controlling acid.

[Michel]

Actually it was about 2 tbls of sodium bicarbonate. Now I use it for brushing my teeth. Great stuff and cheap.

[Jhanananda]

Thanks, Michel, this is very interesting and useful information, especially considering that I have posted a few threads here on the health benefits of beer, wine and whiskey.

Alcoholic Drink Amounts and Cirrhosis

The number of alcoholic drinks it takes to cause liver damage resulting in cirrhosis varies greatly from person to person, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC). Over several years, consuming as few as two to three drinks each day may cause liver damage and cirrhosis in women, reports the NDDIC; for men, having three to four drinks per day can lead to cirrhosis. Examples of one drink include 1.5 oz. of 80-proof liquor, 12 oz. of beer or 5 oz. of wine. According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, women who choose to drink should have a maximum of one alcoholic drink per day to avoid adverse health consequences such as cirrhosis. Men shouldn't exceed two drinks per day.

This means for health:
Women should drink <3oz of 80-proof liquor, or 2 12oz cans of beer, or 2 5oz glasses of wine per day.
Men should drink <4.5oz of 80-proof liquor, or 3 12oz cans of beer, or 3 5oz glasses of wine per day.

It is also interesting to note that your manic episodes were suppressed by your drinking.  Not that you should try this, but someone else who might be prone to manic episodes might find that if they kept their alcohol intake at the recommended levels above might just find some physical and mental health to negotiate life better.

A question that does come to mind, is there any benefit from spacing the alcohol consumption over a greater amount of time during the day?  Say, if there is at least an hour, or 4 hours in between each intake of alcohol, verses drinking all of the alcohol in a single drinking session.  I would think so.

For instance, as you probably know, many European communities drink alcohol daily, and research has shown that they have better health than non-alcohol consumers.  I am not sure what the findings are for recommended daily alcohol intake for health, but it looks like it is a larger volume than the NDDIC recommends.  For instance Italians and French will drink about 6-8oz of wine at a meal.  Germans will drink at least a pint (16oz) of beer at each meal.

Guidelines for moderate alcohol use

If you choose to drink alcohol, do so only in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger.

Examples of one drink include:

    Beer: 12 fluid ounces (355 milliliters)
    Wine: 5 fluid ounces (148 milliliters)
    Distilled spirits (80 proof): 1.5 fluid ounces (44 milliliters)

This recommendation does not seem to match behavior of healthy European population alcohol consumption patterns.

[Michel]

As for how many drinks are required to keep someone's bipolar in check is anybody's guess. But it's an interesting possibility. I don't think anyone has researched the subject.

I drank all day at a steady rate of maybe 1.5 drinks per hour. I was in no hurry.

I find the Mayo Clinic to be wrong on many issues.

[Jhanananda]

Yes, I spent much of the day reflecting upon how much alcohol is good, verses not good.  Both of my parents drank about 8oz of distillate every day until they died, and both of them lived to 88 and 89 respectively, and died of complications that were unrelated to alcohol consumption; and had no serious medical problems throughout their life.  On the other hand, their parents died in their late 60s to early 70s and were all tea-totlers.  I think that says something.

So, I believe that the Mayo clinic recommendation is far too conservative, but it might be functional.  I did consider that the rate of consumption of alcohol, as well as the type of alcohol, is probably significant.  For instance, both of my parents were sippers.  They both drank distillates.  I have taken up drinking beer and wine for my health.  I too am a sipper.

I figured that you were drinking beer too fast to consume 16 12oz cans a day.  If you had sipped it, then you probably would not have drunk more than 8 cans a day, and most probably would not have developed cirrhosis.  However, even 8 12oz cans of beer a day seems a lot to me.