Michael is a 61 year old man who came to see me this week because he had just been diagnosed with a fatty liver. His doctor ordered a blood test for a general check up and detected very elevated ferritin. This is a storage form of iron in the liver. A number of conditions can cause the liver to accumulate too much iron. The most common ones are excess alcohol intake and fatty liver. Michael rarely drank. He had around one shot glass of spirits each month. When he was in his 20s he was a smoker. He quit that easily. Five years ago he quit all alcohol and didn’t drink at all for two years. Since then he’s only had one drink a month. Micheal found quitting cigarettes and alcohol easy. The same can’t be said for sugar. He has a sweet tooth and feels the need to eat at least one sweet treat each day.

Michael’s wife is a former patient of mine. She is very health conscious, so makes sure she prepares healthy meals for the family. She buys Michael a lot of dark chocolate because it is a healthier option. Unfortunately Michael’s father was a type 2 diabetic who died of pancreatic cancer in his early 80s. Having a parent with type 2 diabetes significantly raises the risk insulin resistance. If the insulin resistance gets bad enough, type 2 diabetes can develop. People with insulin resistance cannot handle much carbohydrate in their diet at all. Even small amounts promote the development of fatty liver. Michael is a slim looking person, but having a fatty liver means he is fat on the inside. He would need to reduce his carbohydrate intake further if he wanted to lose fat from his liver.

My recommendations for my patient

Michael’s liver enzymes were normal on a blood test, but the ultrasound scan showed a fatty liver. I gave him my liver tonic Livatone Plus to help protect his liver cells and help damaged liver cells to regenerate. Fatty liver typically produces fatigue, thus the liver tonic should lift his energy as well. Additionally I asked Michael to take 2 n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) capsules each day on an empty stomach. The liver uses NAC to manufacture glutathione, which is your body’s most powerful antioxidant. Iron can cause significant harm to the liver and other organs when there is too much of it in the body. Glutathione helps protect from harm.

I referred Michael to a hematologist who performed a venesection. He removed some blood from Michael’s bloodstream. This is the fastest way to bring down elevated ferritin.

To combat the intense sugar cravings I asked Michael to significantly increase the amount of animal protein, fat and salt in his diet. Having three meals per day comprised of meat or seafood or eggs or poultry, along with natural fats and non starchy vegetables was the plan. This eating style is described in my book called Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. I asked Michael to take one Glicemic Balance capsule with each meal. The herbs and nutrients in this formulation helps to balance and stabilize blood sugar throughout the day. This significantly reduces cravings for sugar and other high carbohydrate foods.

I checked Michael’s blood level of vitamin D. It was low. Not surprising, since he has fair skin and stays out of the sun,  and works long hours so doesn’t really get the time to go outside. Vitamin D deficiency worsens insulin resistance, so I asked Michael to take one 5000 IU capsule each day with breakfast, and try to get regular safe sunshine.

I plan to see Michael again in 5 weeks to check on his response and determine our next steps.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.