Is malnutrition necessary for the development of alcoholic fatty liver in the rat?

Ingestion of various liquid diets containing 36% calories as ethanol and 35% calories as fat does not provide adequate nutrition to young growing rats. Studies conducted with the aforementioned diets have the effects of malnutrition confounded with those of alcohol administration. Feeding a 26% alcohol liquid diet, which results in adequate nutrient intake with the same level of alcohol ingestion as the 36% alcohol diet, does not result in fatty liver development in the rat. The concept that prevailed for 25 years that fatty liver is caused despite adequate nutrition and hence is due to alcohol alone is therefore erroneous.