Healthy Eating, Physical Activity Reduce Risk for Alcohol-Related Liver Mortality

Findings seen across patterns of alcohol consumption, including nonheavy, heavy, and binge drinking

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Sept. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Healthy eating and increased levels of physical activity (PA) significantly lower the risk for alcohol-attributable liver-related mortality, according to a study published online Aug. 26 in the Journal of Hepatology.

Eduardo Vilar-Gomez, M.D., Ph.D., from Indiana University in Indianapolis, and colleagues assessed the impact of diet quality (DQ) and PA on alcohol-related liver mortality. The analysis included data from 60,334 adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (1984 to 2018).

The researchers found that during 12.2 years of follow-up, average daily alcohol intake increased liver-specific mortality risk (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [aSHR]-men, 1.04; aSHR-women, 1.08) compared with abstainers. A similar, but stronger association was seen for binge drinking and liver mortality risk (aSHR-men, 1.52; aSHR-women, 2.52) compared with non-binge drinking. Those in the top quartile of the healthy eating index had lower liver mortality risk among nonheavy (aSHR, 0.35), heavy (aSHR, 0.14), and binge (aSHR, 0.16) drinkers compared with those with unhealthier diets. Similarly, physically active participants had lower liver mortality risk across nonheavy (aSHR, 0.52), heavy (aSHR, 0.64), and binge (aSHR, 0.31) drinkers. In women, the survival benefits of DQ and PA were substantially greater than in men.

“The uniqueness of our study lies in its ability to simultaneously assess the moderating effects of two important lifestyle behaviors on liver mortality risk across different levels and patterns of alcohol consumption in a representative U.S. population, offering a more nuanced and complete view of the risks of drinking,” lead author Naga Chalasani, M.D., also from Indiana University, said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.