A team of South Korean scientists has discovered a way to prevent alcohol damaging the liver, the Science Ministry said Wednesday.

It has been widely documented that alcohol leads to the creation of reactive oxygen species in the body, which in turn damage the liver, causing hepatitis or even liver cirrhosis, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.

However, little had been known about exactly what triggers the production of reactive oxygen.

According to the ministry, the team has confirmed that alcohol triggers the production of a nuclear hormone receptor, ERR-gamma, which in turn causes the production or activation of reactive oxygen species.

In addition, the team has also confirmed a reduction in damage to the liver when the production of nuclear hormone receptors is suppressed, suggesting a way to treat or even prevent alcohol damage to the liver.

Such findings were published in a recent edition of international journal Gut under the title of “Estrogen-related receptor gamma controls hepatic CB1 receptor-mediated CYP2E1 expression and oxidative liver injury by alcohol.”

The team consisted of researchers from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology and Chonnam National University. (Yonhap News)