Research advances in alcoholic liver disease with sarcopenia

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is one of the most common liver diseases affecting the health of the Chinese people, and about 60% of ALD patients suffer from sarcopenia. Anorexia, inadequate intake of nutrients, disorder of digestion and absorption, reduction in physical activity, and increase in blood ammonia are common causes of sarcopenia in patients with ALD; besides, alcohol and its metabolites may affect the synthesis of skeletal muscle protein and promote the autophagy of skeletal muscle cells through multiple signaling pathways. Patients with ALD and sarcopenia tend to have increased risks of poor prognosis, such as hepatic encephalopathy and liver cancer. Further studies are needed to investigate the interventions for patients with ALD and sarcopenia.