The mere presence of excessive fat in the liver is not a serious problem. Treatment aims at eliminating the cause or treating the underlying disorder. Repeated liver injury from toxic substances such as alcohol may eventually progress from fatty liver to cirrhosis. Alcoholic Liver Disease Alcoholic liver disease is damage to the liver that results from excessive drinking of alcohol. Alcoholic liver disease is a common, preventable health problem.
Women are more vulnerable to liver damage than men.
However, the amount of alcohol that causes liver damage varies from person to person. Alcohol also provides calories without essential nutrients, decreases the appetite, and causes poor absorption of nutrients because of its toxic effects on the intestine and pancreas. As a result, people who regularly drink alcohol without eating properly develop malnutrition. In general, symptoms depend on how long and how much a person has been drinking. Heavy drinkers usually first develop symptoms during their 30s and tend to develop severe problems by their 40s.