Around 20% of people in the world suffer from fatty liver disease but it is quite surprising that this problem does not have any noticeable symptoms. People do not realize that they are suffering from this disease until the time they go through an ultrasound or CT scan for the abdominal pain. The fatty liver disease is categorized into two categories i.e. alcoholic fatty liver disease and the NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). The fatty liver problem might make you feel abdominal uneasiness or the fatigue but otherwise, you don’t feel any signs. This problem can be dangerous that causes swelling in the liver and get damaged. If you didn’t cure it on time then, it can result in liver cancer also.
What Is Fatty Liver Disease?
The liver is the largest organ of the human body that helps in food digestion and also in removing the poisons and toxins from the body. Fatty liver disease is a health disorder which occurs due to the accumulation of additional fat inside the liver. All of us have a certain amount of fat in the liver but if this fat increases in proportion to the total weight of the liver, then fatty liver disease occurs.
Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease
There are few symptoms of the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease through which you can diagnose the problem but it is not noticeable every time. The symptoms of fatty liver because of alcohol or any other reason consist of:
- Faintness
- Exhaustion
- Nausea
- Loss of hunger
- Inflammation in the upper belly
- Stomach pain particularly in the upper right belly
- Itching
- Spider-like veins
- An accumulation of fluid and inflammation of the limbs (edema) and stomach (ascites)
- Jaundice (staining of the eyes and skin)
- Psychological misperception
Causes of Fatty Liver Disease
The unwarranted build-up of fat results in a fatty liver. During the analysis of alcoholic fatty liver disease, it is found that the leading reason for fat build-up is taking huge quantities of alcohol. The following are the alleged reasons for fatty liver disease:
- Insulin resistance
- Being overweight or heavy
- High levels of fats, especially triglycerides, inside the blood
- High blood sugar (hyperglycemia), representative pre-diabetes or genuine type 2 diabetes
The above causes are seemed to boost extra deposits of fat in the liver with fatness probable being the greatest predominant reason.
Risk Factors of Fatty Liver Disease
NAFLD (Nonalcoholic fatty liver) is quite common in persons that have any of the below health issues or things:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Obesity
- Pre-diabetes
- Hispanic
- Metabolic disorder or other metabolic syndrome
- High blood pressure
- Fast weight loss
- some infections such as hepatitis C
- Middle-aged or older people
- Contact to certain toxins
- Consuming certain medications comprising corticosteroids and few cancer medications
It is very important to treat the disease of fatty liver. Without proper treatment, the problem can become dangerous.
Complications of Fatty Liver Disease
NAFLD or the Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the common reason for liver disease. The person suffering from the fatty liver disease possess fat accumulations in the liver and such unwanted accumulations might stop the liver from performing its significant work to eradicate contaminants from the blood. It results in the stockpile of toxic liquids and all types of nasty signs of an ill-working liver comprising edema, jaundice, nausea, chronic fatigue, and more.
When the growth of the NAFLD becomes severe then, it turns into the NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis). The late-phase damaging of the liver recognized as cirrhosis is the key problem of NASH and NAFLD. Once cirrhosis takes place, the cells of the liver get gradually substituted by wound tissue and liver working worsens to a greater extent.
The people suffering from NASH and cirrhosis also get the below complications in their body:
- Inflammation of veins inside the gullet that can rift and bleed
- Belly fluid accumulation
- Liver cancer
- Misperception, tiredness and incoherent speech
- The necessity for a liver transplant
- End-stage failure of liver means the liver has stopped working
In fact, the person having NASH, NAFLD and cirrhosis have a higher danger of liver cancer development.
Conventional Cure of Fatty Liver Disease
The diagnoses of fatty liver disease can be done with the imaging tests and blood tests by the doctor. Moreover, a biopsy of the liver might also be required. The usual conventional cure suggestions for fatty liver disorder consist of eradicating or regulating the reason(s). For instance, a conventional fatty liver cure might consist of a doctor’s suggestion to lose weight as it benefits in reducing the fat inside the liver along with swelling as well as fibrosis.
Quick weight loss, on the other hand, is not the right thing as it might worsen the condition. Losing weight slowly is a good method. Moreover, some physicians might recommend losing about 8 % of body weight in the period of 1 year. Further suggestions might consist of:
- Better diabetes control
- Stop consuming any medication which might be triggering fatty liver
- Stop taking alcohol
- Lower triglyceride levels
At present, there are no permitted drugs to precisely cure NASH and NAFLD. Certain physicians provide thiazolidinediones (a category of medications, comprising pioglitazone and rosiglitazone, usually consumed for diabetes) and vitamin E if the alcohol is not the reason for the fatty liver disease in the patients. But, these drugs might result in contrary effects and don’t make so much alteration in the long run.
Once NASH results in the cirrhosis, the conventional treatment for the patient usually comprises of some drugs and probably procedures or operations. Once cirrhosis causes the failure of the liver, a transplant of the liver might be necessary.
Diet for Curing the Fatty Liver
With the help of certain natural ways, you can decrease your problem of fatty liver. You might follow a diet. The below are few tips on diet for curing the fatty liver disease:
- Foods to improve the functioning of the Liver
If you are suffering from fatty liver disease, you can include the diet that is based on plants like fruits, veggies, and healthy fats. Below is the list of foods that reduce the swelling and problem of insulin usage in the patients of fatty liver:
- Foods possessing omega 3 fatty acids comprising sardines, salmon fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.
- Foods having high monounsaturated fats such as avocados, olives, olive oil, and nuts.
- Liver improving veggies comprising leafy greens such as mustard greens, artichokes and bitter, arugul, chicory, and dandelion.
- Foods having High antioxidant properties which might benefit to guard the cells of the liver from harm, particularly foods enrich in vitamin E like almonds and sunflower seeds.
- Green tea aids in decreasing the fat of the body and reduce obesity.
- Foods to Avoid In Fatty liver
There are few foods that you should avoid during the fatty liver disease as they can have a negative impact on your liver:
- Packaged foods possessing artificial ingredients, refined vegetable oils, colors and sweeteners
- Excessive intake of caffeine or alcohol
- Farm-raised fish, Factory-farm animal goods, or conventional dairy (which is sterilized and regimented)
- Fruits as well as veggies covered with chemical herbicides and pesticides
- Refined grains
- Refined sugar along with excessive fructose
- Some drugs (particularly acetaminophen)
- Raw shellfish
- Contact to severe chemicals particularly endocrine-disturbing elements
- Consumption of toxic wild mushrooms
- Supplements for improving the health of Liver
The below are few supplements which can benefit in the cure of fatty liver disease:
- Vitamin E and vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Resveratrol
- Anthocyanin
- Green tea extract
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Probiotics and prebiotics
- Cinnamon
- Curcumin
- Quercetin
A fatty liver refers to the liver that has the storage of 5 % to 15% fat of the total body weight. It is also helpful in diagnosing the disease of fatty liver in the patient. There are no obvious signs of the fatty liver disease but there are few common symptoms of the problem like abdominal swelling, abdominal pain, and nausea, and jaundice, fatigue loss of hunger, itching, and weakness. NAFLD or the Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease distress persons who consume slight or no amount of alcohol whereas AFLD (alcoholic fatty liver disease) is the outcome of extreme alcohol intake.
The persons who do not unreasonably drink alcohol, the causes of fatty liver in them consist of being obese or overweight, high levels of fats, high blood sugar, insulin resistance, mainly triglycerides, inside the blood. In order to cure the problem of fatty liver disease, you should consume lots of whole foods or the healthy diet like liver-improving bitter leafy greens, artichokes, high vitamin E foods such as almonds and sunflower seeds, fish rich in omega 3s and olive oil, as well as green tea. The supplements such as vitamin C and vitamin D, resveratrol, probiotics, vitamin E and curcumin might benefit to naturally cure a fatty liver. It is very essential to do exercise regularly that can benefit from reducing the fat build-up in the liver and also keeping a healthy weight.
