Fatty Liver Disease
By Dr Jenna.
I have chosen to focus on fatty liver disease as it is becoming an epidemic around the world and especially in Australia. Fatty liver occurs when triglyceride globules get caught in the liver cells, this process of accumulation of triglycerides is called steatosis. Fatty liver can cause inflammation in the liver that starts down the same path as alcoholic liver disease and this is called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Because of this factor, fatty liver disease cannot be considered benign or not dangerous as it can in cases that lead to liver cancer. It needs to be monitored at least every six to twelve months and the good news is it is a reversible disease.
Fatty liver is mostly a self-inflicted disease, it has many causes but the most common reason for developing fatty liver is diet choices. Alcohol of course has a negative effect on the liver creating toxins that damage the liver. Excessive use of alcohol can damage the liver but combining alcohol with a fatty diet can also cause liver damage. Drinking lots of sugary drinks, especially drinks sweetened with corn syrup, cause weight gain and can lead to obesity and fatty liver. Modern day diet of take away foods high in fat also has this affect, so changing our choices of beverages and foods can reverse the effects of fatty liver.
Certain diseases increase the risk of fatty liver such as diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome and they change how the body handles fat. Other diseases which increase the risk of developing fatty liver are high cholesterol, obesity, and high blood pressure. There are other rarer metabolic diseases that can increase the risk such as malnutrition as well as over eating can increase the risk. Certain drugs may also increase the risk of fat storage in the liver.
Fatty liver disease usually has no symptoms, it is usually found on blood tests that are done for routine screening. When a patient is found to have abnormal liver test it is usual to start looking for a cause of the raised test. Checking for hepatitis and other viral illnesses that can affect the liver is usually the first things checked for, an ultrasound can further delineate if there is liver damage or not. Fatty liver shows up on ultrasound with large amounts of fat in the liver, a bit like marbles meat but fat does not belong in liver tissue. If there are signs of further liver damage, then patients may need to see a liver specialist and get a liver biopsy to further stage their disease.
The good news is that you can reverse fatty liver disease if it is caught in the early stages, simple diet and life style changes will help. First step is to change diet, increase exercise and lose weight, decrease your alcohol intake and cut down on fatty food. Stay away from take away and sweetened drinks. Of course if you already do all these things the risk of delivering fatty liver disease is low. Prevention of disease with healthy life style and diet is the best, as they say a pinch of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
