In a recent Times article Professor Ian Gilmore, eminent hepatologist and president of the College of Physicians admitted that he drinks alcohol. He gives his liver at least two days of rest a week and always stays under the 21 units deemed the maxiumum for men.
I find that rather reassuring.
What I find a bit disturbing though is the claim in one of the online comments that milk thistle extract helps ‘rebuild your liver cells’. Your liver is quite able to rebuilt itself (if given a chance), and a Cochrane review showed that the stuff did not improve liver related mortality in any of the few high quality trials that were analysed.
Bottom line? If you like your liver, treat it like a liver physician would do.