Fatty Liver: The What, Why, How
Fight the Fatty Liver
You may have heard of the term ‘fatty liver’ and wondered what it means. After all, your school biology tells you that the liver is supposed to contain fat. So, why is fatty liver a disease? Well, granted that the largest solid organ of your body does contain around 5 to 10% of fat, but the problem starts when the amount of fat in your liver exceeds that amount. It may come to you as a surprise –
You can get the fatty liver disease even if you are not a heavy drinker.
So, what exactly is fatty liver?
The Fatty liver disease can be of these types:
• Alcoholic Liver Disease or ALD: As the name suggests, this disease strikes heavy drinkers of alcohol. If you’ve indulged in a night of heavy drinking, it is likely that symptoms will show up after that. ALD has a genetic factor too. Your reaction to alcohol may be determined by your parents’ attitude to consumption of alcohol, as it can also affect the way your body processes and absorbs alcohol. Likelihood of contracting ALD also goes up if you are suffering from Hepatitis C or obesity.
• Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease or NAFLD: This can be either only fat accumulation or fat accumulation along with swelling and damage to the liver. There is a heavy genetic or hereditary influence that affects the occurrence of NAFLD.
Chances of contracting NAFLD also increase if you are obese, overweight, middle-aged, or are suffering from diabetes or high cholesterol. Some other causes include rapid weight loss, medication, malnutrition, and viral hepatitis. Imbalance in the small intestine’s bacteria can also be traced as a cause of NAFLD.
• Fatty liver during Pregnancy: When you are expecting hormonal changes may case fat accumulation in your liver, posing a risk to your and your baby’s health. This condition can put both of you at risk of liver or kidney failure, infections, and bleeding. If you are diagnosed with fatty liver during pregnancy, it is best to have your baby delivered at the earliest possible. With good care, you should have a healthy, well-functioning liver in a few weeks post delivery.
What are the signs of fatty liver?
- An enlarged liver that may be detected by your doctor during a routine check-up.
- During a blood test, a high concentration of specific enzymes can point to fatty liver.
You may be asked to get an Ultrasound if your doctor suspects fatty liver. An MRI or CAT scan will give additional details.
Alternately, your physician may opt for a biopsy. A tiny piece of liver is removed with a needle and studied for an accurate diagnosis.
The problem is that many individuals go on for quite a long time without knowing that they are suffering from the fatty liver disease. Symptoms do not manifest immediately but can lie dormant for years. A few things you can look out for, especially after drinking heavily, are:
- Pain in the middle or right upper part of the abdomen
- Dark patches on the neck or under the arm
- Mental changes like feeling disoriented, trouble concentrating or poor judgment
- Frequently feeling tired
- Reduced appetite
- Weight loss
- Unnatural weakness
- Sudden nausea
Cirrhosis or liver scarring is an advanced complication of the Fatty liver disease. Its symptoms can manifest as liver failure, bloating due to fluid buildup in the body, muscle wasting, internal bleeding or jaundice.
How can one treat fatty liver disease?
Unfortunately, an exact treatment for fatty liver disease does not exist yet; you can’t get rid of it by just popping a few pills. Your doctor may prescribe you a few pills but those would only masks the symptoms and not lead to a recovery.
Knowing this may help:
“Your Liver is the only organ in your body that is capable of regeneration.”
Here are a few steps you can take to help you liver get better, naturally.
• Say no to Alcohol: The first thing to do is to completely stop drinking alcohol. This helps with both ALD and NAFLD. If you have a serious problem, consult your physician and get help. You don’t want to get additional complication like liver cirrhosis or hepatitis.
• Use Natural therapies: Naturopathy offers several therapies to strengthen, support and cleanse the liver including- diet therapy, mud therapy, hydrotherapy, massage therapy, light exercises, and yoga.
• Eat intelligently:
- Go low on the carbs, this means cutting down on bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, cakes, biscuits, chips, corn, and potatoes.
- Stay away from desserts, cakes and sugary foods like colas and juices.
- Consume more raw vegetables and fresh fruits, either whole or in the form of juices and smoothies. These help to clean and repair the liver.
- Increase protein intake by eating eggs, poultry, plain yogurt, seafood, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
- Stay away from harmful fats and eat more healthy fats in the form of oily fish, coconut and olive oil, raw nuts, and flax and chia seeds.
• Lose Weight: In case you are overweight or obese, try to lose weight slowly – nothing drastic. Regular exercise will surely help.
Conclusion- You Can Reverse it!
Fatty liver disease may sound scary, but there are therapies available to help you fight it. Regular check-ups after the age of 40 help in early detection and consequently give you better chances of getting cured. A balanced and healthy lifestyle which includes proper nutrition, rest, and exercise along with a positive attitude can go a long way in aiding your recovery. So, just eat right, fight the fat and stay fit!
