Yahoo News This is what heavy drinking actually does to your liver, by expert
Even people who feel fine after drinking could be rotting their liver inside their body – leading to a painful death.
A TV expert in the U.S. showed off the difference between a healthy liver and one from a patient who died of cirrhosis – in an effort to shock two boozy twins into cutting down.
Drew Pinsky, host of Dr Drew’s Lifechangers, showed off how the diseased liver is grey and scarred in a clip which has been shared widely on social media this week.
Drinking a large amount of alcohol, even for just a few days, can lead to a build-up of fats in the liver, she explained.
This is called alcoholic fatty liver disease – and has no symptoms.
MOST POPULAR TODAY ON YAHOO
Can you spot the hidden camera used by fraudsters on this cash machine?
Pet owner discovers the puppy she bought a year ago isn’t a dog but a FOX
If people keep on drinking, the liver can develop cirrhosis, an incurable condition which can lead to death if victims don’t get a transplant.
Dr Pinsky says in the 2011 video, ‘Essentially every woman I’ve treated who drinks like either of you do has some degree of alcoholic liver disease.
‘I can’t say that you have cirrhosis – not everybody gets cirrhosis, but I worry that you are at risk for cirrhosis.
‘This is a mess.’
The NHS advises patients at risk of alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) to stop drinking, ideally for the rest of their lives.
The NHS says, ‘There’s currently no specific medical treatment for ARLD. The main treatment is to stop drinking, preferably for the rest of your life. This reduces the risk of further damage to your liver and gives it the best chance of recovering.’
