Regular use of alcohol can lead to an accumulation of fat in the liver which can cause liver diseases like cirrhosis and fibrosis of the liver. However this could be prevented by consuming resveratrol according to a new study appears in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology published by The American Physiological Society on mice. The study titled "Resveratrol alleviates alcoholic fatty liver in mice " was carried out by Joanne M. Ajmo Xiaomei Liang Christopher Q. Rogers Brandi Pennock and Min You all from the University of South Florida Health Sciences Center Tampa. The research found that the use of resveratrol drastically reduced the amount of fat produced in the liver of mice fed alcohol and also increased the rate at which fat inside the liver is broken down. The study focuses on resveratrol as a possible solution for alcoholic fatty liver disease and as a way to prevent the disease in those who are at risk but have not yet developed it. Resveratrol can be found in berries grapes peanuts and in red wine. Additional research with mice has recommended resveratrol may comprise anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. There is further confirmation that it has cardiovascular benefits. Nevertheless these conclusions have not been extended to humans. The study is based on a prior research which revealed that alcohol avert two molecules that play a vital role in cell signaling and the breakdown of fats in the liver: AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). As soon as alcohol inactivates AMPK and SIRT1 it allows fat to accumulate. Resveratrol does the contrary activating of AMPK and SIRT1 and helps clear out the fat. During study period mice were divided in two groups and supplied a low-fat diet. A few mice had resveratrol in their diet while some had resveratrol plus ethanol (alcohol) some had ethanol alone and various others had neither ethanol nor resveratrol. Two different dose levels of resveratrol were used by the researchers. At the end of the research livers of the mice were studied. Researchers found that resveratrol treatment enhanced the extraction of SIRT1 and encouraged the activity of AMPK in the livers of mice fed alcohol. They also initiated that the increased expression of SIRT1 and AMPK led to: • Lessening of sterol regulatory constituent binding protein (SREBP-1) • Commencement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator alpha (PGC-1α) • Increase of circulating adiponectin a hormone produced by fat cells which helps in controlling obesity • Better expression of adiponectin receptors in the liver which augment the effectiveness of the circulating adiponectin. Dr. You the study's senior author said that the findings propose that resveratrol stops alcoholic fatty liver by bringing together molecules that manage fat metabolism. This assist in reducing the buildup of fat in the mouse liver by both dropping the production of fat and burning off the fat which is already there. The authors concluded that this study support that resveratrol could serve as a probable agent for inhibiting or treating human alcoholic fatty liver disease.