The effect of  the  products of  ethanol metabolism on the  liver – a  review

The consequences of consuming excessive amounts of alcoholic beverages are currently an important problem for many societies, not only in the context of treatment of alcohol dependence, but also the health effects of alcohol abuse. Long-term consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with increased risk of hypertension, ischemic heart disease, also mouth and throat, stomach, liver or large intestine cancer. Due to almost 90% of consumed alcohol being broken down in the liver by oxidative pathways, this organ is particularly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol metabolism. The consequences of alcohol metabolism in the liver is the formation of byproducts, namely acetaldehyde and interaction between acetaldehyde and proteins, lipoproteins, DNA, also formation of reactive oxygen species and markers of inflammation, which can intensify immunological and inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress, thus contributing to the damage of hepatocytes, and development of alcoholic liver disease. There are three stages of alcoholic liver disease: alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirrhosis. The more advanced the disease, the worse the prognosis tends to be and the smaller the chance of recovery. Thus, alcoholic liver disease is a significant public health problem.