Don't just blame the alcohol
The disease is fatty-liver disease, why does the liver become fatty? because one of the jobs of the liver is to process dietary fats (which travels via the lymphatic system to get there, not the blood stream). The liver packages the fat into Chlyomicrons for export into the blood stream for use by the body. However before it does so it does a kind of "stress test" on the lipids to check they're stable and not oxidised/oxidisable. If the test fails the Chlyomicron is re-absorbed into the liver as the body seems to think oxidised/oxidisable lipids are a no-no.
When alcohol is metabolised it produces a high level of reactive species (free radicals). If your diet consists of high levels of Heart healthy, cholesterol lowering poly-unsaturated(TM) (easily oxidised) fat these fats are easily oxidised/damaged and you set up a perfect storm if you drink heavily.
The damaged fats accumulate in the liver as it can't/wont export them and presto fatty liver disease.
A diet rich in saturated fat is apparently nearly wholly protective from alcolholic fatty liver disease and apparently just one meal rich in saturated fat can measurably protect the liver from a single bout of heavy drinking.
A diet rich in polyunsaturates is used to accelerate fatty-liver disease in rodents for study.
Makes you think.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
