What To Eat To Improve A Fatty Liver - Eat This, Don't Eat That, What Every FLD Patient Should Know

If you're wondering what to eat to improve a fatty liver, then take just a few moments to read to the end of this article. I'll share with you what I've learned about fatty liver disease (FLD) and what foods you should and should not eat to reduce fat in your liver.

A fatty liver simply refers to having too much fat (specifically triglycerides) accumulated in your liver. So what exactly is "too much" fat? Generally speaking, a liver is considered "fatty" when fat makes up between 5-10% or more of the liver by weight. Fat builds up in and around the spaces of hepatocytes (liver cells), causing the liver to enlarge and grow heavier.

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In the early stages of FLD, often referred to as simple steatosis, the condition is often benign and asymptomatic. Many patients don't even know they have FLD. It is often found when doing blood work or other tests for entirely different reasons. The only way to definitively diagnose the condition is through a livery biopsy, but factors such as elevated liver enzymes often clue physicians into the problem.

A diet plan for fatty liver is most often centered around balance, moderation, regulation, and reducing fat intake to less than 30% of the total daily calories. In other words, if you're eating a 1200 calorie diet, then fat calories should make up no more than 360 of those calories. This is equivalent to about 40 grams per day. Since fatty liver is often associated with obesity, losing weight can have a significant impact on improving liver function and liver health.

So that brings us to the question of what you should and should not eat. Complex carbohydrates should make up the bulk of your energy source. These can be found in things like whole grains, brown rice, and pasta. The simple carbohydrates found in sweets should be avoided.

Diets for fatty liver patients are also generally high in fiber and include an abundance of fruits and vegetables. Fats, particularly saturated fats, should be carefully monitored. Protein can be obtained from vegetables or from leaner white meats such as chicken or turkey instead of beef or pork. Here is a brief run down of some of the things you should and should not eat if you want to reduce fat in your liver.

Foods You Should Avoid And/Or Carefully Monitor

White bread and white rice High fat butters Sweets containing simple carbohydrates (candy, doughnuts, etc.) High fat foods (pizza, ribs, pot pies, etc.) Eggs and other high cholesterol foods Sugary and/or carbonated drinks such as soda Fast foods and/or processed meats such as hot dogs Fried foods Alcohol (particularly if you have alcoholic fatty liver (AFL)) Salad dressing and other high fat condiments (look for low-fat or non-fat alternatives) Red meats (beef, pork)

Foods To Eat To Improve A Fatty Liver

Vegetables (greens, leaves, legumes, tomatoes, and especially broccoli) Fruits rich in vitamin E and vitamin C (oranges, papaya, kiwi, mango) Beans (these are a great alternative source of protein) Whole grain breads Milk in moderation (substitute whole milk or 2% milk with either skim milk or 1% milk) Brown rice and pasta Lean white meats (chicken, turkey, tuna)

What To Eat To Improve A Fatty Liver - Eat This, Don't Eat That, What Every FLD Patient Should Know

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Should I Take Testosterone to Boost My Libido?

The past few years has seen an increase in interest in disorders of sexual function, including erectile dysfunction (ED) in men. However sexual dysfunction affects both men and women, and increases with aging.

Testosterone is frequently used for decreased libido in both men and women. With normal aging there is a natural decrease in testosterone that may be associated with decreased libido. It is often prescribed for men who have a condition called hypogonadism, which is characterized by lower than normal testosterone levels and can be caused by conditions that affect the testes, pituitary gland or hypothalamus gland, or by a genetic disorder. Many doctors prescribe testosterone for older men with ED who have "low normal" testosterone levels, especially in males who have not responded to Viagra.

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It can be prescribed as a pill or as a gel that is applied locally to the penis. Studies of the long term safety and efficacy of testosterone have not been done. Testosterone can cause gynecomastia (enlargement of breasts), a loss of sperm (with infertility), and excessive frequency and duration of erections - the side effect that prompts doctors to prescribe it for ED. In women there is a decrease of estrogen, progesterone and androgens (including testosterone) on the order of 25-50% after menopause. Testosterone is the hormone that is most linked to libido in women. Because of this decreased libido can be treated with testosterone in women. Testosterone should not be used in patients with serious cardiac, hepatic, or renal disease, or in patients with carcinoma of the breast or prostate.

Should I Take Testosterone to Boost My Libido?

HEPATIC

Diabetes - Should Our Athletes Be Worried? How to Balance Blood Sugar

Diabetes is a growing problem in the population: according to Diabetes UK there are 3% (1.8 million) diagnosed cases (approximately 250 thousand with type 1 and over 1.5 million with type 2) and another estimated 750 thousand to 1 million undiagnosed cases of type 2 diabetes. No statistics are available for the athletic population.

What is diabetes?

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Diabetes is a syndrome or group of symptoms arising from failure to regulate the metabolism of glucose by means of the pancreatic hormone, insulin. This occurs due to a lack of insulin because the pancreas does not produce enough, fails to produce any or the body fails to make proper use of the insulin that is available. Diabetes is classified as insulin-dependent (type 1) and non-insulin-dependent (type 2). This paper will focus on the latter and will ignore any genetic predisposition to the disease.

The glycaemic index and diabetes

The Glycaemic Index (GI) can be considered as a measure of carbohydrate quality. It measures the postprandial (after a meal) glycaemia (plasma glucose) raising potential of a single food by expressing the rise in glycaemia in response to a 50g available carbohydrate portion of that food as a percentage of the rise in response to a 50g available carbohydrate portion of a reference food (white bread or glucose).

Foods high on the GI result in a sharp rise of plasma glucose, with a high demand for insulin, followed by a more or less rapid fall of glucose. Foods that are low to moderate on the GI produce a slower rise, with a lower demand for insulin, and a more gradual decline in plasma glucose.

Those in favour of carbohydrate quality, argue that GI is a robust measurement, predicts the relative glycaemic response to mixed meals and is easy to follow and implement. In contrast, opponents who favour giving priority to carbohydrate quantity argue that GI is highly variable, not physiological, cannot reliably predict mixed meal responses and is difficult to learn or follow.

Despite some opposition to low-GI intervention in type 2 diabetes, the interventions are clinically efficacious in diabetes therapy over the mid to long-term. The Canadian Diabetes Association, Diabetes Australia, Diabetes UK and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes all support the application of the GI concept in the management of diabetes.

Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance, a component of the Insulin Resistance Syndrome, also known as Syndrome X and the Metabolic Syndrome, is associated with type 2 diabetes. No statistics for insulin resistance are available in the UK, although, according to Diabetes UK, a national register may be set up in the future.

Obesity is the most significant factor leading to insulin resistance with visceral obesity having a particularly strong negative correlation. It can be reversed with diet modification based on a low-fat intake and limiting refined carbohydrates without the need of caloric restrictions. Physical activity is an important factor in reversing the problem.

Mechanisms leading to insulin resistance are unclear, although the abnormal accumulation of certain fats in the liver (hepatic steatosis) is a contributing factor.

In a study by Pan et al, skeletal muscle triglyceride (mTG) appeared to be another important factor in predicting insulin resistance. Trained athletes and animals show the same or higher levels of muscle triglycerides as sedentary controls but have improved insulin action. The authors postulated that this could be due to the distribution of triglyceride. Endurance exercise increases both the mitochondrial volume and distribution in skeletal muscles. In trained dogs, mitochondria appear virtually in direct contact with triglyceride droplets whereas no such association with mitochondria was found in untrained animals. As a result, trained individuals may have an improved ability to mobilise fats.

Research into sucrose and fructose on animals has consistently shown that high sucrose and fructose diets decrease insulin sensitivity. Studies on humans have been inconsistent.

In a large cohort study by Janket et al, 38,480 initially healthy postmenopausal women were followed for an average of 6 years. The researchers accrued 918 incident cases of type 2 diabetes but found no definitive influence of sugar intake on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It was noted, however, that the median follow-up time of 6 years might not have been long enough to detect a very subtle relationship between sugar intake and incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Assessment on humans is thought to be more complicated because of other factors affecting insulin sensitivity. Some studies found that those consuming a diet consisting of large amounts of sweets and desserts were at increased risk of developing diabetes. However, the diet also included high amounts of saturated fats (red meat, fries and dairy products) which is known to be associated with decreased insulin sensitivity.

No studies have shown a negative effect of sucrose on insulin sensitivity. One explanation for this lack of correlation could be that recruitment of volunteers for nutrition studies is notoriously difficult and many studies have a young or a highly health-orientated population. Both groups are likely to be physically active. Given the strength of the positive influence of physical exertion on insulin sensitivity, such persons are inclined to be resistant to the negative effects of diet. However, this does suggest that the promotion of physical activity may have a greater influence on insulin sensitivity than diet.

Another possible explanation is that the GI concerns only the first 2 hours of the postprandial period. It is postulated that a GI defined by a 4-6 hour postprandial period would alter the ranking of sucrose in a GI table to a higher level. Neither sucrose (a disaccharide: glucose bonded to fructose) nor fructose (a monosaccharide) is high on the GI.

Studies based on high fructose versus high glucose diets have shown that the high fructose diets produce an increase in plasma triacylglycerol, plasma cholesterol, VLDL and LDL cholesterol concentrations, all of which are a risk factor in cardiovascular disease. In addition, some of these effects were seen in men but not women. The reason for this difference is not clear. Although not all studies are consistent with these findings, the positive data cannot and should not be dismissed as it may be of considerable clinical importance. It is also important to note that some individuals are more sensitive to fructose than others.

The risk for athletes

Are athletes at risk of developing type 2 diabetes as a result of their high intake of fructose, sucrose and high glycaemic foods? Although the scientific evidence to-date does not support this notion, athletes may be at risk of developing insulin resistance which is associated not only with diabetes but also with coronary heart disease, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, dysglycaemia, osteoarthritis and impaired glucose tolerance.

An over-consumption of refined carbohydrates, over-processed foods, saturated fats and processed vegetable fats are all associated with insulin resistance. The majority of adult athletes we have consulted to-date, over-consume the above with the possible exception of saturated fats. However all our adolescent athletes consumed large amounts of saturated fats.

Although some athletes are becoming more informed on the importance of nutrition for both their long-term health and their performance, there are still a large number who are uninformed or misinformed on nutritional issues. Particularly distressing is the lack of knowledge amongst adolescent athletes which needs to be urgently addressed, not only by nutritionists and dieticians, but also by coaches and parents.

One procedure that can be immediately implemented by everybody is that of chewing our food thoroughly and eating more slowly: it appears that prolonging absorption time by increasing the length of time to complete a meal, consuming smaller and more frequent meals or drinking a beverage over a prolonged period of time all improve glucose tolerance.

In summary, to minimise the risk of insulin resistance, the following points should be adhered to:

Limit sugars and high GI carbohydrates to just before, during and just after exercise.

At other times, consume a large variety of foods avoiding repeating the same food on any one day.

Try to include colourful foods at every meal.

Eat fresh rather than ready-made as often as possible.

Limit all saturated fats found in dairy products and fatty meats.

Avoid fried foods.

Avoid junk foods.

Dilute fruit juices.

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Diabetes - Should Our Athletes Be Worried? How to Balance Blood Sugar

HEPATIC STEATOSIS

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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