What is fatty liver?
Liver cells contain organelles required for its functioning and normally less than 10% fat.
droplets with in liver cells. This deposition is a part of overall excess of body fat and is seen in many body organs and not only in the liver. Hepatic steatosis is another term for a liver with excess fat. Consequences of fat in the liver range from benign accumulation to inflammation and scarring leading to cirrhosis and chronic liver failure and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Why fatty liver disease has become more common?
Combination- intake of high-calorie foods and sedentary lifestyle (physical inactivity) results in the excess calories (intake minus expenditure) being stored in body and liver as fatty acids.
Easy availability of processed high calorie food, our tendency of decreased activity and exercise is the prime reason for increase in prevalence of fatty liver. Alcohol intake adds to accumulation of fat in the liver.
What signs and symptoms indicate fatty liver?
Fatty liver typically does not produce symptoms. Enlarged liver in later stages makes one feel weary, causes pain or discomfort in right upper abdomen. This progress to cirrhosis over a few years in a subset of patients. Early symptoms of cirrhosis include anorexia, weight loss, weakness, and weariness. Symptoms of advanced cirrhosis include jaundice, vomiting of blood, confusion, and disorientation in the later stages.
What is the treatment for fatty liver disease?
There is no magical pill to cure fatty liver.
Many conditions effecting liver have a multiplier effect on the ‘bad’ consequences of inflammation in fatty liver. Evaluation consists of looking for and treating these diseases if found- hepatitis B and C, diabetes, elevation in cholesterol or triglycerides. Treating these with medicines decreases liver damage from this second disease as well as the fatty liver.
Treatment- almost always, fatty liver results from obesity. Correcting the imbalance in caloric intake and output by lifestyle modifications - dietary changes to limit caloric intake, activity to enhance caloric output to reach and maintain a state where caloric expenditure is grater than intake will result in weight loss.
Additionally limiting or avoiding alcohol is helpful. Result of these modifications, fat in liver decreases and liver damage is reversed. Idea is to prevent progression to advanced stages and cirrhosis.
Diet for fatty liver includes:
Fruits and vegetables: A smart place to start is consuming natural foods high in fibre. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a wonderful source of complex fibre, which can help sustain energy levels and encourage satiety. Incorporate four to five servings of vegetables and two to three portions of fruits per day.
Whole grains and legumes: Legumes and grains are excellent sources of fibre, minerals, and plant protein which are preferable to refined flours and animal protein. To keep your liver healthy, include whole grains, lentils, and soy in your balanced diet.
Exercise- keep active, perform outdoor activity of your liking for 30mins a day. Understand the caloric value of foods eaten and amount of food burnt through various activities. Keep a log / record, the awareness of the balance of calories will motivate us to shift balance of calories towards grater consumption than intake.
Avoid consuming too much salt, refined sugar, and saturated fat. Aerated soft drinks, baked goods, commercially packaged fried food, sugar candies should all be avoided because they are rich in calories from saturated fat and sugar.
As we lose weight intentionally through diet & exercise, fat is lost from liver and fatty liver is corrected. Reduction of 5% of body weight is usually sufficient to correct fatty liver.
