Many people don’t take fatty liver seriously enough, including some doctors! This is sad because it is not hard to reverse a fatty liver. Furthermore, this is so important to reverse because Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an increasingly common cause of liver cancer, cirrhosis, and liver transplant and can result in liver failure and death in the advanced stages.

A recent analysis of middle aged people in the USA found that around 40% of people had a fatty unhealthy liver. The majority of people with NAFLD are overweight, however it can also be caused by a nutrient deficient diet and some medications. NAFLD is often found in pre-diabetes or type two diabetics who have insulin resistance known as the metabolic syndrome or Syndrome X. In Syndrome X the metabolism is very disturbed, and carbohydrates are not burnt for energy but instead are turned into unhealthy fat in the liver.

You do not need a low calorie or low fat diet to reverse fatty liver and healthy fats found in olive oil, coconut oil, unprocessed red meat, eggs, poultry, seafood, avocados, and nuts are ideal. Increase vegetables and salads in the diet. Try to quit high sugar drinks, diet sodas and sugary foods as they will get turned into unhealthy fat in your liver. Stay away from processed foods containing hydrogenated cheap oils and sugar. Protein is your best friend and once your liver improves it can turn the protein into glucose. Fatty liver can make you tired and sluggish but do try to do some regular exercise to lower insulin resistance.

The liver cells are able to repair themselves and the fatty tissue in the liver can be greatly reduced over 3 to 12 months depending on the degree of fatty liver. A comprehensive liver formula such as Livatone Plus which has been clinically studied, can support your liver to repair itself. Another excellent supplement to take is berberine which has been extensively researched and found effective in lowering insulin resistance and elevate cholesterol levels.

I am currently looking after a patient in her late 60's with end stage cirrhosis and liver failure and the fact that she had a liver disease was never picked up over the many years it took to develop. She was not a drinker of alcohol but had eaten a lot of sugar and had been exposed to insecticides when living in a house with a fumigated basement. Over the years she had been told that her liver enzymes were elevated and that this was due to fatty liver but nothing was done to correct the problem.

We become complacent as fatty liver is so common but around 20% of cases will progress to cirrhosis. We cannot become complacent and it is important to have an annual blood test to check your liver function as only then can early or gradually increasing liver damage be detected. The liver responds very well to nutritional medicine and it is a tragedy that this opportunity is lost. Many cases of cirrhosis are called “cryptogenic” which means the exact cause is cryptic or unknown. Don’t get confused with crypto currencies which have nothing to do with the liver!

In many of these so-called cryptogenic cases of cirrhosis the underlying cause is chronic smoldering inflammation in the liver caused by build up of unhealthy fat which releases free radicals.

Reference

Mortality Related to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is Increasing in the United States

James M. et al, published: 14 August 2019, https://doi.org/10.1002/hep4.1419

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

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