A study presented at the International Liver Congress stated that the chances of developing fatty liver disease are three times more among overweight women who drink alcohol.

Dr Daniele Prati, of the European Association for the Study of the Liver Committee, said, "It's well known that alcohol and a person's weight are major causes of chronic liver disease, but there has been a need for a large population study to compare these factors' influences on each other."

It was added that the liver health and life expectancy has a significant effect through the combination of a woman's drinking habits and weight.

Dr Paul Trembling and Prof William Rosenberg at the UCL Institute of Liver and Digestive Health conducted a study of about 100,000 British women.

The BMI of all participants was measured and gave details on the intake on alcohol from zero to 15 units a week.

The possibility of developing the disease was two times more among women who drink as compared to women who don't drink at all.

The risk of the disease was 1.7 times more among those who did not drink but were obese.