It may seem like a pleasure at the end of the day.
But Britain’s “wine o’clock” culture may be partly to blame for an alarming trend that has seen deaths from chronic liver disease quintuple since the 1970s.
Liver cirrhosis (scarring caused by continuous and prolonged liver damage), stroke and cancer are already well-established risks of excess alcohol.
However, research suggests that it does not take a large amount of alcohol to trigger the condition.
It comes as BBC Panorama journalist Hazel Martin was surprised to discover He suffered from alcohol-related liver fibrosis (or extreme liver scarring) at the age of just 31.
The Scottish mother of one said she never drank alone. Instead, he enjoyed it as a social activity.
However, by definition, drinking from your late teens to your early 20s would be considered binge drinking.
Experts have also recently sounded the alarm about a “worrying” rise in alcohol-related deaths among middle-aged women.
It comes as BBC Panorama journalist Hazel Martin was shocked to discover she was suffering from alcohol-related liver fibrosis, or extreme scarring of the liver, at the age of just 31.
The Scottish mother of one (left) said she never drank alone. Instead, he enjoyed it as a social activity.
The exact amount of alcohol that can cause irreversible liver damage varies from person to person, as genetics, experience with alcohol, and weight all play a role.
But one shock study found that just 21 binge sessions over seven weeks (three binge episodes per week) were enough to cause symptoms of early-stage liver failure.
Binge drinking was defined as five beers, one bottle of wine, or five shots of hard liquor among men. For women, it was four or more drinks in two hours.
In the mouse study, American researchers found that hepatic triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood) were almost 50 percent higher in the livers of binge drinkers compared to mice that abstained from drinking alcohol.
They also found that a single episode of heavy drinking elevated levels of the liver enzyme CYP2E1.
This metabolizes alcohol into toxic byproducts that can cause damage to cells and tissues.
writing in the diary Alcoholism: clinical and experimental researchThe researchers said: “Our results strongly suggest that repeated and excessive alcohol consumption, even without alcohol dependence, can cause fatty liver, evidence of early alcohol-related liver dysfunction.”
According to the British Liver Trust, drinking more than 4 units of alcohol a day (about two glasses of wine) will also cause some fat buildup in the liver.
The NHS recommends that people drink no more than 14 “units” of alcohol (around six glasses of wine or pints of beer) per week.
If the damage caused by drinking continues, the liver becomes inflamed and will begin to produce scar tissue as it tries to heal itself: fibrosis.
And another worrying study earlier this year found that Britons who drank heavily (12 units in a single day) were three times more likely to develop alcohol-related cirrhosis than those who drank all 12 units in a single day.
The researchers, who tracked more than 300,000 adultsHe also said that those who drank excessively and had a high genetic predisposition were four times more likely, while people with type two diabetes had twice the risk.
Dr Gautam Mehta, co-author of the study and a hepatologist at University College London, said: “Only one in three people who drink at high levels develop serious liver disease.”
«While genetics play a role, this research highlights that the pattern of alcohol consumption is also a key factor.
“Our results suggest, for example, that it would be more harmful to drink 21 units in a couple of sessions than to distribute them evenly over a week.”
Experts have long warned that British women are under increasing pressure to drink after being “relentlessly attacked” by alcohol companies, cheap supermarket deals and boozy lunch deals.
Hospitality workers and alcohol awareness charities have repeatedly called on the Government to bring in tighter marketing restrictions and for minimum unit prices to be introduced in England to prevent preventable alcohol-related illnesses.
Paola Mosquera, from Brighton, said she feels more sociable when she drinks as it helps her meet new people.
Michelle Pattison, 47, a carer from Newcastle, said: ‘Women may drink more because they often take on full-time jobs on top of looking after children and the home. They have a lot of added stress.’
When speaking to young women about how their drinking habits have changed, many previously told MailOnline that they relax with alcohol because it helps them de-stress after a long day and gives them confidence to meet new people.
Paola Mosquera, 30, a masseuse from Brighton, previously told MailOnline: ‘I drink when I go out because it gives me more confidence.’
‘I feel more sociable and it helps me meet new people. I think this is a common thing especially in England, it’s just the culture here.
‘When women are raising families, having careers and doing household chores, it can be very stressful.
‘I know, sometimes when I’m really busy, all I want to do is go home and take a bubble bath with a glass of red wine. I think many women would agree.
“It’s not good to have a drinking problem, but I think it’s okay if women just want to have a drink to relax and if it’s in moderation.”
Meanwhile, Michelle Pattison, 47, a carer from Newcastle, said: “I would drink quite a bit.” I drank alcohol before leaving the house and drank more when I went out.
‘Women may drink more because they often take on full-time jobs in addition to caring for children and the home. “They have a lot of added stress.”
The mother of two added that the drinks women are more likely to choose are part of the problem.
‘Women are also more likely to drink wine and spirits that have more units.
‘People also drink fruit cocktails that taste like juice, so you don’t realize you’re drinking as much. It’s also very easy to finish a bottle of wine.’
Last year, a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed that one in four British women now binge drink at least once a month – the highest proportion of the 29 countries analysed.
More than a quarter also admit to having consumed six or more alcoholic drinks on a single occasion. more than double the average rate of 12 percent.
Experts criticized the “intentional marketing campaign by the alcohol industry” to “color” drinks as part of a “relentless” campaign targeting women.
Others have also warned that an increase in the size of wine glasses over time had played a role, as well as that women were misinterpreting NHS guidelines on alcohol consumption.
According to health services recommendations, both men and women should drink no more than 14 units per week, of which a single small glass of wine (125 ml) is equivalent to 1.5.
Last year, a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed that one in four British women now binge drink at least once a month – the highest proportion of the 29 countries analysed.
But “some women think it’s okay to take 14 units in one sitting rather than spread them out over a week,” Ian Hamilton, an addictions expert at the University of York, told MailOnline today.
“Many people don’t understand what constitutes a unit,” he added.
Some will have interpreted that any wine glass has 1.5 units, for example, regardless of whether it is 150ml, 200ml or more.
“Many women associate alcohol problems with daily drinking rather than excessive drinking,” Professor Hamilton said.
‘So they think that if they have days without alcohol they have no problem.
«This is obviously not the case, since it is a stereotype to associate alcohol problems with daily consumption.
“For many people it’s more about consumption patterns than frequency of consumption.”
Leading experts have also argued for decades about the harms of moderate alcohol consumption.
It came under the spotlight last year when WHO officials warned that no amount of alcohol is safe.
All scientists agree that excessive alcohol consumption can cause a variety of cancers and increase blood pressure.
It puts pressure on the heart muscle and can lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD), increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
The World Health Organization estimates that alcohol kills three million people worldwide each year.