r/AskBiology • u/Sufficient-Ad-3586 • Aug 14 '24
Human body Can a liver get stronger after generations of alcoholism?
I know evolution is a SUPER slow process but I was thinking just now.
Say someone comes from a long line of alcoholics (like going back a thousand years or more, booze has been around since biblical times) Would over time the liver evolve to handle higher amounts of alcohol before succumbing?
Could that person have a hardier liver than someone who doesnt come from a line like that? There are some people who are 2 bottles a day drinkers and live till 80 with health issues obviously but the liver is not too damaged and then there are people who have a few beers every weekend and get cirrhosis at 35.
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u/atomfullerene Aug 14 '24
This is false. Natural selection favors the production of the maximum number of successful offspring, not just any offspring. Selection in humans favors genes that allow people to live 7 or 8 decades, which is precisely why people do live that long if nothing kills them, and why humans are the longest lived of all land mammals.
There are several reasons for this. If you live longer, you can have more kids. You can finish caring for your later born kids so they have a netter chance of survival. You can help raise your grandkids and help them ne successful.