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Review
. 2006;29(4):296-306.

The role of nutritional therapy in alcoholic liver disease

Christopher M Griffith  1 , Steven Schenker
Affiliations
Review

The role of nutritional therapy in alcoholic liver disease

Christopher M Griffith et al. Alcohol Res Health. 2006.

Abstract

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) evolves through various stages, and malnutrition correlates with the severity of ALD. Poor nutrition is caused both by the substitution of calories from alcohol for calories from food and by the malabsorption and maldigestion of various nutrients attributed to ALD. The only established therapy for ALD consists of abstinence from alcohol. Sufficient nutritional repletion coupled with appropriate supportive treatment modalities may be effective in reducing complications associated with ALD---particularly infection. Nutrition makes a significant positive contribution in the treatment of ALD, especially in selected malnourished patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial Disclosure

The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.

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