Essential
- Researchers have discovered that PFOS chemicals, present in everyday objects, aggravate the effects of alcohol on the liver.
- This double exposure leads to an accumulation of fats and severe liver damage.
- Reducing exposure to PFASs could limit the risk of liver disease.
Why do some people who consume alcohol develop liver diseases, while others escape it? Researchers from the University of Louisville, in the United States, think they have found a semblance of the answer: the overexposure to perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS)-the famous “eternal pollutants”-and in particular the sulfonate perfluorooctane, or pfos. Their study, recently published in the journal Toxicological Sciencesreveals that these chemicals present in everyday objects could indeed play a key role in the occurrence of alcohol -related liver disease.
Pfos and alcohol: a toxic cocktail for the liver
These compounds are present in non -stick stoves, food packaging, stains resistant tissues or drinking water. Problem: they accumulate in the body and the environment without deteriorating. Thus, 95 % of Americans would present traces of PFAS in the body. “Our research allows you to explain why two people with similar alcohol consumption may have very different liver damage”indicates Dr. Frederick Ekuban, first author of the study, in a press release.
As part of their work, the researchers submitted animals to a double exposure to the PFOS and to alcohol. Result: an accumulation of fats, markers of rising liver damage and activation of genes linked to oxidative stress and the development of cancers. “The liver normally has a remarkable recovery capacity, but the PFOS seems to push this resilience beyond its limits”warns Jennifer Schlezinger, professor at the University of Boston. Worse still, 60 % of the ingested PFOS would end up stored in the liver, the very place where alcohol does its damage.
Limit risks on a daily basis
If research must continue, in particular to assess the effects according to sex or types of consumption, simple gestures can reduce exposure to PFAS: avoid non -stick kitchen utensils, filter tap water, limit industrial dishes and choose products without PFAS.
As Dr. Matthew Cave, co-author of research reminds us: “It is crucial to study how alcohol and environmental chemical exposures like PFOS influence hepatic health”. A major public health issue, while liver disease and alcohol consumption are constantly increasing in the world.