Why The Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is More Difficult To Treat

Fatty liver disease, or hepatic steatosis, is a liver disorder which occurs when there is too much fat in the liver and has two types - alcoholic fatty liver (AFL) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The first one, alcoholic in nature, is about as common and as many as heavy alcoholic drinkers. These people are those who take in more than 60g of alcohol per day. However, even moderate (but regular) drinkers are also susceptible to the disease. Because of its singular cause, it is easier to treat compared to non-alcoholic liver fat disease.

The second type, non-alcoholic in nature, is different from the former because of the causes and the rate of how fast each develops. The accumulation of fat in the liver is due to one or more non-alcoholic causes such as high-fat diet, obesity, diabetes milletus, high triglyceride, and hypertension. Although it is the most common form of liver ailment, non-alcoholic disease is considered more difficult to treat due to its various possible sources. Numerous research studies have also concluded that it may lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and eventually liver failure.

HEPATIC STEATOSIS

Non-alcoholic fatty liver can be prevented (or even reversed) through proper diet. It is generally asymptomatic, which means it does not show symptoms at its early stage. Usually, the symptoms reveal themselves when the condition has progressed to a more severe state, which is more dangerous.

A proper and healthy diet that can help worsen non-alcoholic liver disease consists of low fat or non-fat food, high fiber intake, and complex carbohydrates. One should also consider the essential vitamins, minerals, and food groups to determine the specific meals to take each day in order to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Why The Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is More Difficult To Treat

HEPATIC STEATOSIS

What Is Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD involves the accumulation of fat in liver cells. If the patient with this disease does not consume excessive amounts of alcohol, the cause of the disease is nonalcoholic. In general, you may have some stage of NAFLD if the amount of fat in your liver cells is more than 5 to 10 percent of your liver's total weight.

If there is no liver inflammation (hepatitis) or liver scarring (fibrosis), fat accumulation in your liver is not considered serious. However, if fat continues to accumulate in your liver for many years, it can lead to serious health conditions such as hepatitis, fibrosis or perhaps to the irreversible liver scarring condition known as cirrhosis.

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Stages of NAFLD

Fatty Liver or steatosis is the initial and simplest stage of NAFLD. It involves the accumulation of triglyceride fat in your liver cells without any inflammation or scarring. Even though it is not a normal liver condition, it is not considered serious as long as it does not develop into liver inflammation or damage.

A more serious stage of NAFLD can develop into nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH in a fraction of patients with fatty liver. NASH is the combination of liver fat accumulation and liver inflammation. If it is not treated, NASH over time can cause serious liver scarring.

If the initial stages of liver scarring go untreated, it can lead to the last and most severe stage of NAFLD. It is called cirrhosis of the liver. It is irreversible liver scarring. The liver is not able to function properly, and can develop into liver failure, liver cancer and liver related death, if the scarring is extensive.

What causes NAFLD and NASH?

The exact cause for this disease is still unknown. However, one common factor among NAFLD and NASH patients is insulin resistance.

Other risk factors for NAFLD are obesity, diet and a family history of NAFLD.

Another report by the Linus Pauling Institute states that when choline intake is inadequate, fat accumulates in the liver and develops into fatty liver. When choline supply in the diet returns to normal, liver function also returns to normal. Choline is considered an essential nutrient, and is similar to the vitamin B group. Choline is used by our body in the transport and metabolism of fats.

Food sources of choline include beef liver, wheat germ, egg yolks, beef, broccoli, brewer's yeast and lecithin. You can get choline supplements as choline chloride and choline bitartrate, but many consider soy lecithin to be more absorbable by the body.

Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver patients may not notice any symptoms at all in the early stages of the disease. Many years may pass before patients notice any symptoms.

However, if you get regular physical examines, your doctor should notice the signs of NAFLD before it reaches the NASH or cirrhosis stages. For patients who do notice symptoms of this disease, they may experience a dull ache just below their ribcage on their right side. It is dull and not an intense pain as when you have a gallbladder attack. Other symptoms that patients may have are:

Nausea Weight loss Fatigue And an enlarged liver.

Treatment for Fatty Liver Disease

Some research has shown that a change in exercise routine and diet can reverse this disease and restore liver function.

Losing weight slowly through an increase in physical activity and a change in your diet is crucial in reversing this disease.. Gradual weight loss is very important. You can make your fatty liver condition worse with the addition of liver inflammation, if you lose your weight too fast. It is recommended that you target your weight loss to 1 or 2 pounds each week, and no more than that.

To improve your liver health, you should:

Never abuse alcohol Don't abuse the use of medications or drugs Don't eat foods high in saturated fats Don't eat food with added sugar Stay away from highly processed foods like white or bleached flour, white bread or while rice Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables Exercise regularly Don't smoke and avoid environmental toxins Make sure that your diet includes adequate amounts of choline And eat whole grain breads and brown rice in moderation.

By living a lifestyle that promote liver health, you not only improve your chances of reversing and avoiding nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, you also allow your liver to perform its functions, such as:

Breaking down nutrients Manufacture proteins and cholesterol Store glucose, vitamin B12, fats, copper and iron Form and excrete bile Eliminate body waste products, excess cholesterol and bilirubin And detoxify harmful drugs, alcohol and environmental toxins.

What Is Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?

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Omega-3 Prevents Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Omega-3 supplements can prevent a number of lifestyle and nutrition-related conditions, from heart disease to ADHD. Current studies reveal that fish oil can also relieve a liver disease that plagues a significant number of the population - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As you can guess from its name, this liver disorder is not caused by excess alcohol consumption, although it's not uncommon for alcohol drinkers to experience this disease. Rather, non-fatty liver disease is connected to a high level of triglycerides and low amounts of omega-3 fat in the diet.

A healthy liver should have little or no fat; for most of the population, having just a small amount of fat in the liver is enough to cause health problems. A fatty liver is when your liver has a build-up of triglycerides, the most common type of fat found in the human body and the fat responsible for cell growth and energy. Triglycerides usually come from the diet, but they can also be manufactured and processed by the liver. Before they are released into the bloodstream, the liver combines them with proteins to create lipoproteins. However, this process can get interrupted, causing an increased flow of triglycerides into the liver and a delay in their secretion to the bloodstream. This is what causes the fat build-up in the liver.

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Not long ago, having a fatty liver was considered to be harmless, and rarely progressed into a serious, life-threatening condition. Today, however, a large number of the population have this disease and experienced complications like hepatitis and fibrosis. In a few cases, these complications have developed into a dangerous condition called cirrhosis.

There is good news for adults at risk for this condition disease. Increasing your consumption of omega-3 fats found in fish, legumes, and fish oil pills plays a role in reducing triglyceride levels and lowering levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects, omega-3 can reducing swelling in the liver. Animal studies reveal that diets with higher levels of omega- fat decreases the fat build-up in the liver. Another study on fatty liver patients discovered that omega-3 supplementation can improve the liver's texture among those with steatosis, a simple form of fat build-up. Higher intake of this supplement also reduces the liver's fatty deposit, and improves overall liver function.

While more research needs to be done on this subject, patients who have tried fish oil supplementation have experienced significant improvements. Just make sure that you choose pharmaceutical-grade fish oil instead of cod liver oil, whose vitamin A content can place stress on the liver.

Omega-3 Prevents Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

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