Diet Plan For Fatty Liver - Foods To Eat To Reduce A Fatty Liver

A diet plan for fatty liver should be one of moderation and balance. Much like a healthy diet for the average person, a diet for reducing a fatty liver should focus on highly nutritional foods. All food groups need to be represented, but nothing should be eaten in excess.

A key goal of a fatty liver diet should be reducing fat intake into the body. Fatty liver disease (FLD) results from excess fat accumulations in the liver, so it only makes sense to cut out high fat foods, particularly those containing saturated fats. No more than 30% of the overall caloric intake each day should be composed of fats.

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You might be wondering why fat accumulates in the liver in the first place. After all, doesn't it usually collect in adipose tissues around the belly, under the forearms, and around the thighs?

While it is true that fat does accumulate in these places, it is an entirely different form of fat. Adipose tissues collect fat in the form of adipocytes whereas the liver collects fat in the form of triglycerides.

Following a low-fat diet can help stop the progression of fatty liver disease from simple steatosis (its first and least severe stage) to Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (its most severe and potentially life threatening stage). However, reducing fat alone is not the solution to FDL.

The best diet plan also needs to be rich in vitamins and minerals. Some of the most important vitamins and minerals are folate (folic acid), active forms of vitamin B such as thiamine and riboflavin, manganese, sulfur, selenium, and vitamin C. The best sources for vitamins include citrus fruits and vegetables, particularly greens and leaves.

Protein is also needed since it is an important part of metabolic and cellular processes. The best sources of protein come from vegetables (such as beans), seafood, and lean meats.

Excess fat should be removed from meats prior to cooking or eating them. It is also best to focus on white meats such as chicken and turkey instead of dark meats like beef and pork. Protein should account for about 20-30% of the diet.

Dairy products should be consumed sparingly. Lean toward those that have reduced fat and/or those that are fat-free. A good diet plan for fatty liver will be high in fiber, and complex carbohydrates (such as those found in wheat bread and brown rice) will make up a majority of the caloric intake. Simple carbohydrates (such as those found in candy) should be avoided. Overall, complex carbohydrates should account for 60-70% of the diet.

Steer clear of alcoholic beverages as well as high sugar fruit drinks and energy drinks. Water is always the best option when it comes to beverages.

Diet Plan For Fatty Liver - Foods To Eat To Reduce A Fatty Liver

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Fatty Liver Diet - Friend And Foe Foods To Reduce Fat In The Liver

Without a nutrient-rich fatty liver diet in place, it can be extremely difficult to reduce the effects of steatosis and fatty liver disease (FDL). FDL is present in millions of people worldwide, particularly those who suffer from other conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Although benign and asymptomatic in many patients, if the disease is not regulated and kept under control, it can progress into a life threatening ailment through cirrhosis, liver cancer, and eventually total liver failure.

The liver is an amazing organ with over 200 functions. It has often been called the body's "chemical factory" and is a built-in, natural filter. It is also a storehouse for fats, vitamins, and minerals and produces up to 24 oz of bile per day.

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Bile is important in the emulsification of fat in the intestines. Emulsification refers to the process of breaking down large fat globules into smaller ones. The liver is also the only organ in the human body capable of regeneration. If it shuts down, death can occur within 24 hours.

Is Fat In The Liver Normal?

You may already know excess fat in the body is often stored in adipocytes (fat cells) in areas such as the belly and thighs. So why does fat get into the liver in the first place?

First, it is important to understand fat in the liver accumulates as triglycerides and not as adipocytes. It's perfectly normal for small amounts to show up and be stored in the liver. Reasons for this include:

Fat metabolism occurs mostly in the liver. Under some circumstances, such as when a person experiences hypoglycemia, the liver will convert glycogen to fatty acids. Fatty acids are converted into energy in the liver when stores of glucose (the main energy source for the body) run low. Since fat is not water-soluble, lipoproteins carry fatty acids both from and to the liver to be processed.

With all these processes involving fat occurring in the liver, it only makes sense for some fat to be stored there. However, when fat makes up more than 5-10% of the liver by weight, a fatty liver occurs.

Diet plays a key role in reducing a fatty liver. Clearly the greatest foe is fat itself. Therefore, high fat foods should be avoided. Lean cuts of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, should replace fried and/or dark meats such as beef. Alcohol, as well as high sugar fruit juices and energy drinks, should be avoided.

Instead, try to focus a fatty liver diet plan on liver friendly foods such as fruits and vegetables (greens, leaves, and vitamin C rich foods) and complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates break down slowly, giving the body a slow, steady source of energy.

Simple carbohydrates, like those found in sweets, should be avoided because they break down quickly and are used rapidly by the body. When the body uses these carbohydrates too fast, it then switches to converting protein to energy which can be taxing for the liver. Protein is better used for producing hemoglobin, an important blood component that takes oxygen to cells throughout the body.

Fatty Liver Diet - Friend And Foe Foods To Reduce Fat In The Liver

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Fatty Liver Diet Plan - What You Should Do To Reduce Liver Fat Now Before Catastrophe Strikes

Implementing the right fatty liver diet plan early on can help you enjoy many more years of symptom free living. Although fatty liver disease (FLD) is often an asymptomatic disease in its early stages, it shouldn't be taken lightly.

FLD can be a deadly killer when simple steatosis goes unchecked and worsens to become non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, liver cancer, or complete liver failure. Diet and exercise will be your best allies against this potentially deadly condition.

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Fatty liver is closely tied to obesity and if you suffer from FLD, chances are you also struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Perhaps you just need to shed a few pounds or maybe you need to lose hundreds. Regardless, watching your weight and working on a gradual reduction of 1-2lbs per week will go a long way toward reducing fat in your liver.

In her ebook, "Fatty Liver Diet Guide", veteran liver nurse, Dorothy Spencer states, "Since losing weight is the primary concern in treating fatty liver, following a 1200 calorie diet is an excellent way to shed excess body fat." Slow, gradual weight loss is recommended over drastic weight loss measures such as gastric bypass surgery. This prevents the body from going into starvation mode (from the sudden loss of fat) and producing fatty acids that can further congest the liver.

Following Dorothy Spencer's recommendations, a 1200 calorie diet should be comprised of the following:

6 ounces of protein from lean meats and vegetables 5 servings from a starch source such as potatoes or whole-grain bread 4 or more servings of vegetables 3 servings of fresh fruit (citrus fruits are particularly good as they are rich in vitamin C which is gaining popularity as a fatty liver treatment) 3 servings of fat (unsaturated fats are favored over saturated fats, but all fat should be consumed sparingly) 2 servings of low-fat dairy such as cottage cheese or skim milk

If you don't want FLD to worsen, it's important to get started early eating the right foods that help in reducing fatty liver problems. Prevention is the only "cure". Alcohol consumption should be avoided since ethanol blocks the oxidation of fatty acids in the liver and limits the release of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) which are responsible for moving fatty acids out of the liver.

Fatty Liver Diet Plan - What You Should Do To Reduce Liver Fat Now Before Catastrophe Strikes

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Buff Mice Show 'Weight Training' Muscles Reduce Fat And Improve Metabolism

It may not be time to start pumping iron just yet, but, as strange as it sounds, there is evidence in recent mice studies published in the February 6th issue of Cell Metabolism that indicates that the type of muscles that are developed by weight lifting may play a bigger role in regulating body weight than we think.

You're saying, someone has a lab full of bench-pressing mice in some medical school somewhere? Although a great image, you would only be right about the medical school part. It turns out that a team of researchers at the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute of Boston University Medical Center (BUMC) has been bulking up their test mice using a technique that genetically turns on the type of fast skeletal muscles (type II) that are used for tasks like managing heavy objects.

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No, really- somewhere in a lab in Boston, there was a team of muscular mice who were bulked up like weight trainers by genetic manipulation. Interestingly, the researchers didn't see what they expected.

The research group had expected their gene tweaking to result in fat but strong mice, more like sumo wrestlers than body builders, since the mice were being fed a fast-food-like, high-fat and high-sucrose, diet causing them to be fat to begin with all the expected problems. What they got instead was a test group that showed positive metabolic improvements when the type II fast muscle genetic switch was turned on and the muscles developed. "Remarkably, type II muscle growth was associated with an overall reduction in body mass, due to a large decrease in fat mass. In addition, blood tests showed that these mice became metabolically normal and their fatty liver disease rapidly resolved," said senior author Kenneth Walsh, PhD, a professor of medicine and head of Molecular Cardiology at the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute at BUSM. The beneficial changes occurred despite the fact that the mice continued to eat the same high-calorie diet and did not display any increase in physical activity. "This work shows that type II muscle just doesn't allow you to pick up heavy objects, it is also important in controlling whole body metabolism," added Walsh.

Further analysis found that the mice burned fat because of changes in the physiology and gene expression of their fat and liver cells. "Thus, it appears that the increase in type II muscle fiber orchestrates changes in the body through its ability to communicate with these other tissues," he said.

So, here is what all of this may mean to us. We've always known that activities like weight lifting that form fast, type II muscles were good for burning calories that might otherwise convert to fat. What we didn't know was that the existence of this muscle type could have such far-reaching effect in other metabolic areas as well, such as reducing hepatic steatosis (fatty liver). Walsh believes there might well be an extended connection to humans suggesting that "strength training, in addition to the widely prescribed therapy of endurance training, may be of particular benefit to overweight individuals."

The researchers are still busy revealing the interplay between diet, muscle type, and the body's metabolic systems. Their initial research is clearly the beginning of a longer process, and hopefully the further insight can lead to improvements in the treatment of those in need of weight loss and further reduce conditions like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and hypertension.

Who would have thought that paying attention to a bunch of buff mice would have such far-reaching results.

Remember, too, that this article is for information purposes only. If you have or think you have a health issue, including weight or diet issues, consult your primary care physician for proper diagnoses and treatment.

Personal Fit Weight Loss Guide dx.doi.org/10.2121/Weight-Loss-Guide-020808

Buff Mice Show 'Weight Training' Muscles Reduce Fat And Improve Metabolism

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