Changes in blood metabolite profile are visible years before diagnosis of alcohol-related disease — ScienceDaily

A new study from the University of Eastern Finland is the first in the world to show that the serum metabolite profile can be used to identify individuals likely at risk of developing an alcohol-related disease in the future. The finding also opens up new avenues for preventing alcohol-related adverse effects. The study was published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Alcohol is the cause underlying many severe diseases, such as alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis and different types of cancer. It is estimated that alcohol accounts for approximately five per cent of the global burden of disease, and the WHO has listed the reduction of excessive consumption of alcohol as one of its most important priorities.

“However, it is challenging to identify individuals most in need of an intervention, i.e., people who will go on to develop an alcohol-related disease,” Senior…

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