Effects of Prolonged Ethanol Intake: Production of Fatty Liver Despite Adequate Diets*

Abstract

Although the association of alcoholism and fatty liver was described as early as 1836 (3), the pathogenesis of this disorder is still the subject of controversy.Among the problems at issue is the question of whether the fatty liver observed after prolonged alcohol intake is due only to nu- tritional deficiencies associated with alcoholism or whether it is caused by alcohol itself (4-6).In the present study an attempt was made to dissociate the effect of ethanol per se from se- quelae of dietary deficiencies.It was found, both in man and in rats, that ethanol ingestion produces fatty livers, despite maintenance of adequate diets. Methods A. Clinical studiesSubjects.Five individuals were studied under meta- bolic unit conditions.The subjects varied in age be- tween 36 and 62 years; all but one were males.All had a history of alcoholism, but they had abstained from al- chohol for periods varying from 30 days to 2 years.At the time of the study, none had clinical evidence of liver disease, and liver function tests were normal (Ta- ble I).The subjects had a history of previous alcoholic fatty liver, documented by liver biopsy, but at the time of * Submitted for publication October 16,