A large USC study of over 8,000 adults found that people who binge drink even once monthly face triple the risk of serious liver scarring compared to those who spread the same alcohol amount over time. This finding particularly affects people with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which impacts one-third of American adults. The research challenges the common belief that occasional heavy drinking is harmless if you're otherwise moderate. Binge drinking was defined as 4+ drinks per day for women and 5+ for men. The study suggests that how you drink matters as much as how much you drink for liver health.
