In this article we talk about fatty liver, we will try to explain what fatty liver is, what its symptoms are, how to prevent it, possible treatments and how to change our lifestyle to help combat this widespread and silent disease.
What is the fatty liver?
The liver helps digest food, store energy, and remove toxins. Fatty liver disease is a condition in which fat builds up in the liver. There are two main types:
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver.
- Alcoholic fatty liver
Non-alcoholic fatty liver.
As its name suggests, it is the type of fatty liver that is not related to alcohol.
There are also two subtypes:
- Simple fatty liver: There is fat in the liver, but little or no inflammation or damage to the liver cells. In general, simple fatty liver is not serious enough to cause liver damage or complications.
- Non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis: There is inflammation and damage to liver cells, and fat. Inflammation and damage to liver cells can cause fibrosis, or scarring, of the liver. Steatosis can cause cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Alcoholic fatty liver.
It is fatty liver disease caused by massive alcohol intake.
Your liver breaks down most of the alcohol you drink so it can be eliminated from your body, but the breakdown process can create harmful substances. These substances can damage liver cells, cause inflammation, and weaken the body’s natural defenses. The more alcohol you drink, the more it damages your liver. Alcoholic fatty liver disease is the earliest stage of alcoholic liver disease (or alcoholic liver disease). The next stages are alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis.
People at risk.
Although the exact reason and cause of this disease is not known, we do know the profiles of people most likely to suffer from it:
- Have type 2 diabetes
- Is obese
- They are middle-aged or older (although children can also suffer from it)
- Have high levels of lipids (fats) in the blood, such as cholesterol and triglycerides
- Have high blood pressure
- Take certain medications, such as corticosteroids for example
- Have certain metabolic disorders, including metabolic syndrome
- lose weight very fast
- Have certain infections such as hepatitis C
- Have been exposed to some toxins
Fatty liver disease affects about 25% of the world’s population but it is estimated that it can reach more than 50% of the population in many developed countries.
Rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol are generally on the rise in neighboring countries, as is the rate of fatty liver disease.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease only occurs in heavy drinkers, especially those who have been drinking for a long period of time. The risk is higher for heavy alcohol drinkers who are obese, women, or those with certain genetic mutations.
Symptoms and diagnosis.
In general, both fatty liver disease and alcoholic fatty liver disease are silent conditions that have few or no symptoms. If you have symptoms, you may feel tired or have discomfort in the upper right side of your abdomen.
Because there are often no symptoms, it is not easy to diagnose fatty liver disease. Your doctor may suspect that you have it if you have abnormal liver tests done for other reasons. To make a diagnosis, your doctor will use:
- Your medical history
- A physical exam
- Various tests, including blood tests, and sometimes a biopsy.
As part of your medical history, your doctor will ask about your alcohol consumption to find out if the fat in your liver is a sign of alcoholic fatty liver disease or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. He will also ask about the medicines you take, to determine if a medicine is causing your fatty liver.
During the physical exam, your doctor will examine you and check your weight and height. They will also look for signs of fatty liver, such as:
- Enlarged liver (hepatomegaly)
- Signs of cirrhosis such as jaundice, a condition that causes the skin and whites of the eyes to appear yellow
You will likely have liver function tests and blood tests. In some cases, you may also undergo imaging tests, such as those that check for the presence of fat in the liver and its stiffness. Liver stiffness can mean fibrosis or scarring. In some cases, you may also need a liver biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and to confirm the severity of liver damage.
Treatment.
The first thing we want to comment on is that there is no standard treatment, it is clear that alcohol should not be ingested for the treatment of alcoholic fatty liver, the rest are more recommendations for lifestyle changes:
- Lose weight.
- Eat a healthy diet, limiting salt and sugar, as well as eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Get regular physical activity, which can help you lose weight and reduce fat in your liver.
Consuming some natural extracts will help you fight fatty liver. We recommend the following:
Reishi mushroom.
Reishi is an ideal choice for the treatment of liver disorders, since it improves liver function, reducing enzyme levels, scar tissue or fibrosis, and fatty liver.
Reishi triterpenes have an anti-inflammatory action comparable to hydrocortisone, but without its side effects.
It performs a hypocholesterolemic activity that decreases the absorption and synthesizes cholesterol and triglycerides. It has been proven that it produces an antifibrotic effect on the liver, lowering the content of hepatic collagen and normalizing the altered hepatic structure.
A clinical study on the use of reishi as a liver protector and in fatty liver problems has been published in the journal Pharmaceutical Biology.
The study was conducted with 42 people who consumed the equivalent of 2 grams of micro-ground pure reishi per day for 6 months.
People who took it had reduced liver marker enzymes (Glutamatoxaloacetic Transaminase GOT and Glutamicopyruvic Transaminases, GPT) and substantially improved total antioxidant capacity, total thiols, and plasma glutathione content relative to placebo.
Furthermore, abdominal ultrasonic examination showed that subjects who had marked liver impairment before treatment and who consumed reishi reverted from mild fatty liver condition to normal condition.
Turmeric.
The antioxidant effects of turmeric have been linked to improved liver function.
Helps protect against liver diseases related to oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress is produced by an imbalance in cells, caused by an increase in free radicals and a decrease in antioxidants. This cell deterioration is considered a key factor in liver damage, which is also induced by agents such as alcohol, drugs, viral infections, among others.
A study published in Nutrients determined that curcumin, the active ingredient in this plant, has several functions capable of protecting and treating the liver. In general, it works as a free radical scavenger.
It can improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. According to a review of studies published in Integrative Medicine Research, curcumin supplementation may be effective in treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Similarly, a study published in Phytotherapy Research found that this compound can reduce liver fat content in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as body mass index, levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides , glucose, among others.
Garlic.
The components of garlic “inhibit the activity of inflammatory enzymes, in addition to inhibiting the activity of other components involved in the inflammation process.” For this reason, it could be useful to prevent (or relieve) liver problems that occur with inflammation.
The liver synthesizes lipoproteins to facilitate the movement of fats and cholesterol. The body needs an adequate level of cholesterol in the blood to fulfill many basic functions. Better purge excess fat and cholesterol, which favors the function of lipoproteins
According to a study published in The Internet Journal of Nutrition and Wellness, consumption of garlic can help reverse oxidative stress that causes liver toxicity. This would be thanks to its metabolites, amino acids and proteins, the liver can be protected from many of these toxins.
Astragalus.
Astragalus root is a great liver protector that, in addition to its anti-inflammatory properties and blood glucose control, greatly helps protect the liver.
Graviola.
Graviola (like astragalus) is a great hepaprotector, this, together with its ability to lower cholesterol and triglycerides, its anti-inflammatory capacity and its blood glucose control properties, makes it a great ally against the liver fatty.
As always, we recommend that you have frequent physical activity, that you choose to take seasonal products and we recommend that you take nutritional supplements as long as they are 100% natural, without chemical preservatives, without added sugars or sweeteners, as is the case with ImmunologyPlus Antiox+ , which contains all these natural extracts, graviola, astragalus root, reishi mushroom, turmeric and garlic.
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