Research from University of Aberdeen provides new data on chronic liver disease
2009 AUG 3 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to recent research from Scotland, "It is well established that the consumption of alcohol is implicated in both the cause and progression of chronic liver disease. The quantity of drink that is consumed, the pattern of drinking and type of alcoholic beverages consumed are all possible factors in disease aetiology." "The impact of specific dietary components on the cause and progression of chronic liver disease is unclear although it is known that obesity, and hence the over-consumption of energy, is a predictor of fatty liver. Work to elucidate the role of both diet and alcohol in the aetiology of liver disease is hindered by the methods currently available to measure dietary (including alcohol) intake. The validity and reliability of retrospective methods of assessing diet are limited by their reliance on memory and, for the 24 h recall, the short-time period of intake assessed and its inability to assess variability across the week. Prospective methods which measure food and drink intake at the time of consumption, and include weighed or estimated food diaries, are useful for prospective cohort studies but are expensive and have a high respondent burden. For estimation of alcohol intake retrospectively, the Cognitive Lifetime Drinking questionnaire, which prompts responses using a lifetime calendar, is a useful tool but still depends on memory," wrote W.L. Wrieden and colleagues, University of Aberdeen. The researchers concluded: "More work is required to develop valid, reliable and easily administered tools for measurement of both diet and alcohol." Wrieden and colleagues published their study in Statistical Methods in Medical Research (Measurement of food and alcohol intake in relation to chronic liver disease. Statistical Methods in Medical Research, 2009;18(3):285-301). For additional information, contact W.L. Wrieden, University of Aberdeen, Health Service Research Unit, 3rd Floor, Health Science Bldg, Foresterhill, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, Scotland. Publisher contact information for the journal Statistical Methods in Medical Research is: Sage Publications Ltd., 1 Olivers Yard, 55 City Road, London EC1Y 1SP, England. Keywords: Scotland, Addiction Medicine, Alcoholism, Bariatrics, Chronic Liver Disease, Fatty Liver, Hepatology, Mental Health, Obesity, University of Aberdeen. This article was prepared by Gastroenterology Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Gastroenterology Week via NewsRx.com.
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