Alcohol use is linked with over 3.3 million deaths annually across the globe and one of the major contributors to liver diseases. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology Commission by Shiv Sarin and colleagues has noted that in the Asia-Pacific region, 24% of deaths from liver cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases and 19% of deaths from liver cancer could be attributed to alcohol use. This amounts to over 300,000 deaths each year.

Over the last 30 years, alcohol consumption has come down considerably in several European countries, Australasia, and North America. However, this decline has been completely negated globally by the rising consumption in many Asian countries that have weak alcohol control regulations, such as China and India.

The risk for liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, by amount of drinking, has been found to be higher for some Asian populations compared to non-Asian populations on account of genetic polymorphisms, particularly in ALDH2 and ADH1B - the flushing genes.

The increasing trend in alcohol consumption, associated with the adverse effect of these polymorphisms, will worsen the burden of liver disease in Asia.

Source: Jiang H, Room R, Waleewong O, Hao W. Restricting alcohol consumption to reduce liver disease in the Asia-Pacific region. Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2020;5(2):105-7.