Alcohol’s hidden shortcut lets gut bacteria wreck the liver

Alcohol-associated liver disease is becoming a massive health and economic burden, but researchers at UC San Diego may have uncovered a new way forward. They discovered that chronic alcohol use blocks a crucial protein that normally helps keep gut bacteria from leaking into the liver, worsening damage. Restoring this protein’s function, using drugs already in development, could not only reduce liver disease but also have implications for treating alcohol addiction itself.