Antioxidant treatment ‘can stop alcohol-related liver damage’

Researchers from the US have discovered a potential means of addressing liver damage caused by excess alcohol intake using an antioxidant treatment.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham study, which appeared in the journal Hepatology, utilised an antioxidant called mitochondria-targeted ubiquinone (MitoQ) among rodent test subjects with elevated alcohol intakes.

It was found that MitoQ can help to intercept and neutralise free radicals before they damage the mitochondria, thus preventing the process that leads to steatosis, through which fatty deposits appear in the liver.

The researchers hope this could offer a path to developing the first pharmaceutical products that address this problem, which can cause cirrhosis and cancer among excessive drinkers.

Dr Victor Darley-Usmar, professor of pathology at the university, said: "Our findings suggest that MitoQ might be a useful agent for treating the liver damage caused by prolonged, habitual alcohol use."

Last month, a Cancer Research UK study showed that alcohol consumption is causing 13,000 cancer cases in Britain on an annual basis.