Chronic Alcohol Consumption Induces Irreversible and Heterogeneous Pancreatic Steatosis in Men: An MRI-Based...

Background: Chronic alcohol consumption is a recognized cause of pancreatic steatosis, though its imaging characteristics in individuals remain undefined. This study investigated the effect of chronic alcohol intake on the pancreatic fat content and distribution in a male population and assessed the impact of abstinence. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 140 male alcohol drinkers (who consumed >20 g ethanol/day for >5 years) and 142 male non-drinkers were recruited. The pancreatic fat fraction (FF) was quantified using T1- and T2*-corrected double-echo chemical shift magnetic resonance imaging (CSI). Participants were stratified by age (20-50 years, 50-70 years). Drinkers were further categorized as current drinkers or short-term (<1 year) or long-term (1-2 years) abstainers. Results: The pancreatic FF was significantly higher in alcohol drinkers compared with age-matched controls in the 20-50-year-old (6.07 ± 1.59% vs. 2.94 ± 0.62%, p < 0.05) and 50-70-year-old (9.14 ± 2.22% vs. 5.98 ± 1.00%, p < 0.05) groups. In drinkers aged 40-70 years, the pancreatic fat distribution was uneven. No significant difference in the FF was observed across the three drinking status groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Chronic alcohol consumption could cause fat deposition in the pancreas. An uneven distribution of pancreatic fat began in the fourth decade in this male population. An alcoholic fatty pancreas was not reversed within a follow-up period of up to two years.