Dr. Sarah Wakeman

And if you don't stop the thing that's driving those changes, over time we see the development of what's called fibrosis, which is like scar tissue. And then that scar tissue gets more and more advanced to the point that your liver stops functioning and you either die or you need a liver transplant.

And if you don't stop the thing that's driving those changes, over time we see the development of what's called fibrosis, which is like scar tissue. And then that scar tissue gets more and more advanced to the point that your liver stops functioning and you either die or you need a liver transplant.

Yeah. So obesity. Food does. Yeah, food. So your liver is very involved in glucose metabolism. So our diet and our body weight impact our liver health. And the other medications, so acetaminophen or Tylenol, which is a very common over-the-counter pain reliever, above a certain threshold can cause... Serious liver damage.

Yeah. So obesity. Food does. Yeah, food. So your liver is very involved in glucose metabolism. So our diet and our body weight impact our liver health. And the other medications, so acetaminophen or Tylenol, which is a very common over-the-counter pain reliever, above a certain threshold can cause... Serious liver damage.

So sometimes we'll see cases where someone didn't realize that like their cold medicine plus the Tylenol they were taking both had that ingredient and then they go out and drink heavily and that kind of combination effect can cause liver damage.

So sometimes we'll see cases where someone didn't realize that like their cold medicine plus the Tylenol they were taking both had that ingredient and then they go out and drink heavily and that kind of combination effect can cause liver damage.

So again, it varies person to person. For liver damage, it does tend to be the moderate to higher amounts that cause damage. One thing is that having these big surges, like these massive binge episodes, is probably more harmful than drinking at a moderate level for a long period of time. Those big surges cause a big buildup of that toxic byproduct that your body has to clear.

So again, it varies person to person. For liver damage, it does tend to be the moderate to higher amounts that cause damage. One thing is that having these big surges, like these massive binge episodes, is probably more harmful than drinking at a moderate level for a long period of time. Those big surges cause a big buildup of that toxic byproduct that your body has to clear.

And so if you have several years of binge drinking heavily, that actually probably is going to cause more damage than a longer period of time of just drinking above the risk limit. So really trying to minimize and avoid those very heavy drinking episodes is incredibly important.

And so if you have several years of binge drinking heavily, that actually probably is going to cause more damage than a longer period of time of just drinking above the risk limit. So really trying to minimize and avoid those very heavy drinking episodes is incredibly important.

And then keeping it to those low risk guidelines, which we just learned are kind of eye opening and how low risk they are is going to reduce the risk of liver damage.

And then keeping it to those low risk guidelines, which we just learned are kind of eye opening and how low risk they are is going to reduce the risk of liver damage.

No, I mean, alcohol has effects across our body. So many parts of the body can be affected by alcohol. So kind of starting from the top, your brain. And we can look at this with pictures like an MRI. Oh, I've got one. Yeah, I think.

No, I mean, alcohol has effects across our body. So many parts of the body can be affected by alcohol. So kind of starting from the top, your brain. And we can look at this with pictures like an MRI. Oh, I've got one. Yeah, I think.

Yeah. To me. So when we do an MRI of someone's brain, we basically, this is like a cross slice. So it's almost like you're facing me and I'm cutting your face off and looking at your brain onwards. Healthy brain tissue is the gray and white matter. And you want it to be as plump and like taking up as much space as possible because that's where all of your brain activity is.

Yeah. To me. So when we do an MRI of someone's brain, we basically, this is like a cross slice. So it's almost like you're facing me and I'm cutting your face off and looking at your brain onwards. Healthy brain tissue is the gray and white matter. And you want it to be as plump and like taking up as much space as possible because that's where all of your brain activity is.

When people get really old or have dementia, one thing we see is more and more the black space is essentially water. So we see the brain start shrinking and shrinking, and there's more water and less active healthy brain tissue. That process is accelerated with heavy alcohol use. And so you can see here, this is a 43-year-old person with...

When people get really old or have dementia, one thing we see is more and more the black space is essentially water. So we see the brain start shrinking and shrinking, and there's more water and less active healthy brain tissue. That process is accelerated with heavy alcohol use. And so you can see here, this is a 43-year-old person with...

severe alcohol use disorder where their brain looks the way, you know, a 90-year-old with dementia would look because of that brain damage over time from alcohol use. And so we can actually, a form of dementia is related to alcohol use. And so your brain can be hugely impacted with alcohol.

severe alcohol use disorder where their brain looks the way, you know, a 90-year-old with dementia would look because of that brain damage over time from alcohol use. And so we can actually, a form of dementia is related to alcohol use. And so your brain can be hugely impacted with alcohol.