NAFLD & Wine: Can You Drink Wine if You Have Fatty Liver?

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I can stop eating bread, I can stop eating sweets, but don’t take my wine away!” This seems to be the thing that many people who are being diagnosed with a fatty liver say or think.

But, shouldn’t you really stop drinking wine if you have NAFLD? This is exactly what we’re going to talk about in today’s article, even though you might not enjoy the answer.

No, you shouldn’t drink wine or any type of alcohol if you suffer from fatty liver disease. Alcohol – including wine – even in small quantities, can cause further damage to an already sick liver and make things worse.

You probably know already that alcohol is bad for your liver – even a healthy liver, not just one already suffering from other conditions, can sustain damage if alcohol is consumed in excess.

You can hear this preached by anyone, anywhere at any moment of the day. Alcohol is bad for your health. Period.

But is that true? Or it’s just excess alcohol that harms your body and a glass of wine now and then won’t do any extra damage. In the end, there are studies and voices praising the beneficial effects wine has over one’s health

The sad truth is that it’s not a myth: alcohol is indeed bad for your liver (and your overall state of health)!

Consuming red wine with moderation, however, has been proven to have beneficial effects on one’s health, especially the cardiovascular system – as you can find in the article that I have linked to above. But there’s a catch…

Why you should not drink wine if you have a fatty liver disease

The thing with wine providing some health benefits is only valid for healthy individuals.

In other words, those who suffer from various liver-related problems (and probably others too) can’t enjoy the health benefits of drinking wine moderately – at least not alcoholic wine (more on this below).

The thing is that those who have been diagnosed with a fatty liver are not healthy individuals. That’s pretty much obvious, no matter what is your fatty liver’s stage or grade.

On the contrary, we have one disease that affects the liver, which is the same organ that is hit the worst by alcohol consumption. Even small amounts can do a lot of damage now when the organ is not in top shape.

How does alcohol – including wine – harm our liver?

no more wine

There are two main things it does: first, it brings extra stress to the liver, damaging its cells and leading to inflammation and scarring.

It also damages the intestine, allowing bacteria from the gut to enter the liver and damage it even more.

For a healthy person, drinking a glass of wine every now and then might have more benefits than it does harm, so those people are allowed to drink without the need of excessive worry, as long as that glass doesn’t turn in three or more.

But those with a fatty liver should stop drinking all types of alcohol. For good, without any exceptions! As we found out above, alcohol is bad for your liver.

Don’t panic, though! You can still get red wine’s beneficial effects by switching to alcohol free red wine.

In that article, I also explain how alcohol free wine has been studied to have even better positive results on one’s health, without the negatives alcohol brings!

It’s difficult to find a non-alcoholic wine that tastes exactly like the real thing, but at least you have options. And when it comes to your health, your well being should come first!

But isn’t drinking wine a matter of deciding between the risks and benefits?

Some people told me that even though they suffer from a fatty liver, they consider the beneficial effects the wine is claimed to have over general health more important than the harm it does to the liver. In other words, they consider it a risk vs reward kind of thing.

Unfortunately for those who love drinking a glass of wine and still need an excuse to do so after being diagnosed, the answer is still no. You can’t have it. You shouldn’t have it.

The question above sounds pretty silly if you read it out loud and I am sure you are aware – just by reading it – that you’d do nothing but find excuses to allow yourself that glass of wine.

Don’t do it!

Some people – and studies – found that those who stopped drinking alcohol completely usually live less than those who consume alcohol – mainly red wine – in moderation.

And this is something that some people use to try and convince you that it is safe to drink wine or other types of alcohol.

stop drinking if you have a fatty liver

However, a closer look at those studies – which is exactly what scientists did – found that the people who stop drinking alcohol do so forced by various health issues, liver-related ones included.

In other words, the people who stop drinking alcohol completely are people who are already sick. Or people who stop drinking because they are forced by various circumstances.

So even though they might live a bit less than individuals who are as healthy as they can be and who consume alcohol with moderation, they actually get to live a lot more compared to those who would continue drinking, even with moderation.

In other words, as terrible as this sounds, the truth is that if you are sick, you should stop drinking alcohol forever. This will actually help you live longer, even if the actual prospects are lower than those of an otherwise healthy adult.

Yes, if you were healthy, you could still drink with moderation and only enjoy the benefits, but unfortunately you are not.

Yes, I know that you do have to give up on a lot of things after you’re diagnosed with fatty liver and the idea of not being allowed to drink any alcohol for the rest of your life is scary… but isn’t it scarier to risk it all and have a lot less time to enjoy life and your loved ones?

Life is not about what we drink and what we eat! Life is about experiences and about being close to our loved ones for as long as possible.

Make the right choices and enjoy the right things! There are so many other things that you can do in order to be happy and feel good.

My own story & experience with wine and fatty liver

I have been diagnosed with a fatty liver back in 2014 and I have reversed it since. But from the moment I was diagnosed until today, I never touched alcohol. And I never plan to ever touch it again.

I took this decision after my doctor told me that I have to stop drinking even though I had non-alcoholic fatty liver (aka NAFLD). She went as far as saying that I shouldn’t even smell it – that’s how bad it is.

Sure, it was a bit of an exaggeration but nobody spends their days sniffing bottles anyway.

Then I did my own research – which is exactly what I recommend you to do – and I read all the sides of the story. Both those who say it is OK, as well as those who say it’s not.

Read the studies, read the conclusions, do your own researh and think for yourself. You will end up just like me, realizing that unfortunately, you are not allowed to have even a glass of wine if you have fatty liver. Not even beer.

It was tough for me – especially early on – but a lot easier than giving up sugar or fried foods, to be honest.

And the thing that I was worried about the most – the fact that if I stopped drinking would affect my social life, turned out to be unfounded.

I still have friends, I can still go out, I can still have fun. All without touching wine or any other type of alcohol. I know I am doing this for my own health and well being.

And if I was able to do it – and stick to it even after reversing my fatty liver – then you are able to do it too.

And if you still need help to get things in place and focus on the right things only, this program for reversing your fatty liver that I reviewed will probably change your life for the better. Check it out and stay healthy!

Conclusion

As difficult as it might seem at first, you definitely have to stop drinking wine (and any sort of alcohol) if you suffer from a fatty liver disease. I actually would go as far as recommending to stay away from it even after you reverse your condition.

Your health is more important and there are other ways to entertain yourself – ways that don’t include drinking wine.

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