Gene makes alcohol ‘healthy’ for the liver

A lab rat study pioneered in Shanghai has found a gene that turns alcohol into glycogen, making it healthier for the liver to process, scientists claim.

A glass or two is fine, but heavy alcohol consumption has been found to increase build up of fat in the liver, leading to long term diseases.

This may come as welcome news to those who had an excessive Father’s Day / Dragon Boat weekend: researchers from the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute for Nutritional Sciences claim to have spotted a gene found in humans and animals that helps turn alcohol into glycogen – rather than fat, making it “healthier” for the liver.

Initially published in the Journal of Lipid Research and then the SCMP, the study found that by strengthening the PPP1r3G gene in rats, alcohol in the liver was converted into glycogen which reduced the build-up of fat.

An excess of fat in the liver which increases when people drink alcohol is known to cause long term liver damage and even cancer.

Chen Yan, the lead scientist said: “Our findings shed new light on the issue of drinking. It can lead to the development of new medicines that can reduce the negative health effects of alcohol.”

Yan followed on to say that the results could lead to alcohol being available as pills that will boost the PPP1r3G gene and even used to cure other diseases such as diabetes.

However, this was not an excuse to binge drink, he said as the study had only been carried out on lab rats.

The findings come amid a number of other alcohol-based health studies, including this recent report where scientists claimed that Tequila could aid in weight loss and separately, the discovery of a “hangover-free yeast”.