Anadolu Agency article on Liver Disease Sparks Debate Over Historical Claims About Atatürk‘s Death
ANKARA - A recent Anadolu Agency (AA) news article highlighting the link between neglected fatty liver disease and cirrhosis has ignited a renewed discussion regarding long-standing allegations about the cause of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s death. The article, featuring comments from Prof. Dr. Bülent Aydınlı, Director of the Life organ Transplantation Center in Antalya, emphasized the importance of abstaining from alcohol for liver health.
Aydınlı stated to AA, “It is indeed also very critically important to stay away from alcohol to protect the liver,” while noting that genetic factors, smoking, and untreated hepatitis B and C also contribute to cirrhosis.
The AA report prompted journalist and writer Soner Yalçın to revisit his 2015 analysis of the historical narrative surrounding Atatürk’s passing. Yalçın’s article,published in April 2015,directly challenged the widely circulated claim-especially within religious circles-that Atatürk died of cirrhosis caused by alcohol consumption.
Yalçın argued that attributing Atatürk’s death to alcohol is a baseless “slander” and an “urban myth,” explaining that cirrhosis has multiple causes beyond alcohol use. He pointed to the case of Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the poet known for writing the Turkish National Anthem, who also died of cirrhosis despite being a teetotaler.
Yalçın highlighted an instance in the Yeni Şafak newspaper, reporting on a two-year-old boy diagnosed with cirrhosis, as unintentional evidence disproving the claim that cirrhosis is solely linked to alcohol. “In other words, Atatürk died of cirrhosis, not alcohol. After all…” Yalçın wrote.
