Fatty Liver, Alcoholic Hepatitis and Cirrhosis Produced by Alcohol in Primates

Abstract

Because previous experimental studies in which alcohol was fed to rats or volunteers led only to fatty liver, alcohol, 4.5 to 8.3 g per kilogram as isocaloric substitution for carbohydrate, was fed to 13 baboons for nine months to four years. The entire spectrum of alcoholic liver injury was produced, including fatty liver in all animals, alcoholic hepatitis in four and cirrhosis (in two). The data suggest that a nutritious diet will not prevent the development of alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis when excessive alcohol is chronically consumed. (N Engl J Med 290:128–135, 1974)