Your liver envies you: Many drink more than they themselves go around and believe.

How much alcohol do you consume per week?

This was the question posed by the Liver Research Center at Odense University Hospital to 3,700 residents of Funen.

Out of three respondents, two-thirds stated, based on their own assessment, that they consume less than the Health Authority's recommendation of a maximum of ten standard drinks per week.

However, reality paints a different picture.

These 3,700 participants also underwent an advanced blood test, which revealed that more than one-third had underestimated their actual alcohol intake.

Furthermore, nearly one in ten, who believed they had a low alcohol consumption, actually had an alcohol intake considered high risk, exceeding 30 standard drinks per week. The Health Authority recommends a maximum of ten standard drinks per week for both men and women.

Liver Research Center at OUH offers a full week of "drop-in" liver scans.

Source: Liver Research Center, OUH

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200 diseases linked

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Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to a long list of ailments: high blood pressure, various types of cancer, heart diseases, and poisoning. According to the Health Authority, there are over 200 diseases and conditions associated with high alcohol consumption.

When we are poor at estimating how many glasses of wine actually fit under the tablecloth, it indicates a problem: many have harmful alcohol consumption without even realizing it, and this can have consequences for their health.

- It's a problem if one is not aware that one's consumption is harmful. It's hard to change habits if one doesn't know one has a problem, says doctor and ph.d. Camilla Dalby Hansen from the Liver Research Center.

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Drop in liver check

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To focus on how harmful alcohol is for the liver, the Liver Research Center held a "drop-in" event in week 40, where hundreds of residents in a week had their livers scanned for scar tissue and fat, which can be indicators of liver damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

OUH has now decided to expand the offering to also include week 41.

- We would preferably like to see those with excessive alcohol consumption. But if you are concerned and unsure whether you have a problem, you are welcome to come and have a scan, says doctor and ph.d. Camilla Dalby Hansen.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.