Zerodha co-founder and billionaire Nikhil Kamath has drawn the ire of a liver specialist after the release of his latest podcast episode 'WTF, Alcohol is a $70B Business in India?'. The Kerala-based doctor, Cyriac Abby Philips, who is popular on social media as “The Liver Doc” criticised Kamath for glorifying the consumption of alcohol which can lead to stroke, cancer, liver diseases, and even mental health disorders.
In the podcast, Abhishek Khaitan, MD of Radico Khaitan, said that countries that have banned alcohol have led their economies into shambles. "Drinking alcohol in moderation is very good," he said.
Meanwhile, Kamath revealed that he bought about 1.6-1.7 percent of Radico's stock worth Rs 400 crore.
Refuting Khaitan's comments, Dr Philips shared a detailed explanation on X, listing scientific evidence highlighting how "no safe level of alcohol that is good for human health". "No amount of alcohol is safe because it is not just a liver poison, it is systemic poison. It gets to every part of your body. Even single to lowest exposure can wreck your DNA and promote cancer formation," he said.
"To claim drinking alcohol in moderation is good, is actually a crime. It is a crime towards humanity, it is not in good faith. It is in good faith to run the business yes, because the many people who use it occasionally, move on too frequently, and then get dependent or 'routinize' it. These businessmen have nothing to lose - because they have already put up a stupid disclaimer to get away with it - 'drink responsibly'," Dr Philips added. He was referring to the statutory disclaimer the podcast carried on consumption of alcohol being injurious to health.
The liver specialist also said that businesspeople who support drinking alcohol are the ones who have the resources to afford expensive medical care should they ever have diseases related to alcohol.
"I treat alcohol use disorder and related acute liver disease, chronic liver failure and acute-on-chronic liver failure (the most devastating of them all with the highest death rate without a timely liver transplantation) on a daily basis," Dr Philips said. "Patients and families struggle to make ends meet for proper healthcare because alcohol use destroyed their life savings. And by the time they find the funds to get things going, the patient is already on the ventilator and in multiple organ failure."
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