The ketogenic diet is massively popular at the moment. Many people find it a relatively easy way to lose weight quickly because the food is satiating and keeps hunger at bay. It is a high fat diet though, so individuals with a fatty liver are often hesitant to give it a go. Should you be concerned?

If you have a fatty liver it means there’s too much fat inside your liver. Surely you shouldn’t be eating fat! Actually the research shows quite the opposite. Excess consumption of carbohydrate is the main cause of fatty liver, because of its ability to induce insulin resistance.

A recent study has shown that a low carbohydrate, ketogenic style diet can improve liver function in people with fatty liver disease. The study was published in the journal Diabesity in Practise and involved 69 patients who had very high levels of the liver enzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). This is a typical marker of fatty liver, insulin resistance or excess alcohol consumption.

All of the patients were put on a low carbohydrate diet for 13 months. Their diet was based on green vegetables, fish, nuts, eggs and meat. They increased healthy fats in their diet from olive oil and butter, as well as the fat naturally present in meat.

According to the lead researcher Dr Unwin, “The results were striking. The first thing that happened was their GGT readings dropped by an average 47 percent. That makes sense because the liver is the first destination of new glucose supplies.”

The study participants experienced other health benefits of being on a ketogenic diet. These included:

  • Reduction in blood sugar levels
  • Weight loss
  • Improved ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol

This was a British study, and currently the NHS recommends a low fat diet to treat fatty liver. However, the British Liver Trust believes a low carb diet is much more effective, and could cut premature deaths from fatty liver disease if more people adopted this way of eating. According to The British Liver Trust, these findings provide a “very useful insight on how liver function can improve.”

Fatty liver is a common and increasing cause of premature death. Left untreated, it can progress into cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer. It is also strongly associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke. If your liver is unhealthy, it is an important indicator that your health is at risk. If you don’t know about the health of your liver, please ask your doctor for a liver function test.  If you have been diagnosed with a fatty liver, please know that it can be reversed.

Most people think a fatty liver is caused by eating too much fat. That seems logical, since the name has the word “fatty” in it. On the contrary, low fat diets high in sugar, starch, grains and cereals are the biggest culprits, and so is alcohol. Industrial seed oils such as soybean oil, sunflower seed oil and corn oil, as well as manufactured fats such as margarine can also cause fatty liver. If you want to reverse fatty liver you need to base your diet on non-starchy vegetables, protein and healthy fats. There is an eating plan in my book Fatty Liver: You Can Reverse It. If you are not accustomed to adding fat to your diet, or you’ve had your gallbladder removed, or have stones in your gallbladder, taking an ox bile supplement can greatly enhance fat digestion and make you feel more comfortable.

A large percentage of fatty liver patients are insulin resistant and pre-diabetic, or have type 2 diabetes or polycystic ovarian syndrome. These conditions typically make it extremely difficult to lose weight. You can be eating much less than the average person, yet still not lose weight. It is important to provide the liver with the support it needs for fat burning and detoxification, with Livatone Plus capsules. They help to make your liver a more efficient fat burner.

Reference

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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