Liver Disease Higher Among Overweight Drinkers, Study Finds

The combination of obesity and alcohol use can increase the risk of cirrhosis of the liver, according to researchers in the U.K.

HealthDay News reported March 11 that a study of 1.2 million middle-aged women found that those who consumed an average of 2.5 alcoholic drinks daily had a 2.7-in-1,000 risk of developing cirrhosis if they were of average weight. But the risk rose to 5 in 1,000 if they were obese.

Another study found that overweight men who drank heavily were more likely to develop liver disease, as well.

The studies of British women and Scottish men both appear in the British Medical Journal.