If you’ve been diagnosed with a fatty liver, you may have a problem with your intestines. Waste products, bacteria, yeast and undigested food from your gut can make their way to your liver, causing inflammation and damage to liver cells. Improving your gut bugs and healing your gut lining is important if you’re wanting to reverse a fatty liver.

Research published in the journal Hepatology has found patients with an advanced form of fatty liver are more likely to have increased intestinal permeability and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in their intestine. The severity of these intestinal conditions correlates with the severity of fatty liver.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common liver diseases in the world. It affects approximately one in three people in western nations. It occurs when excessive fat accumulates within the liver, and can lead to inflammation, scarring and even eventual cirrhosis of the liver.

Poor diet is the main cause of fatty liver disease; it primarily occurs in people who are overweight (particularly around their abdomen), type 2 diabetics and people who eat more carbohydrate than their body can tolerate. Industrial seed oil high in inflammatory omega 6 oil can also cause fatty liver.

Risk factors for developing fatty liver disease:

  • Obesity
  • High carbohydrate diet (sugar, breakfast cereals and foods made of flour)
  • Type 2 diabetes and Syndrome X (insulin resistance)
  • High alcohol intake
  • Side effect of some medication
  • Autoimmune liver disease
  • Digestive conditions such as celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease
  • In the early stages of fatty liver, excess fat accumulation is the only change that occurs. However, if left to progress, the liver may develop a type of hepatitis, which causes inflammation inside the liver. This inflammation greatly increases the risk of permanent liver damage. Research has shown that people with leaky gut syndrome and high levels of harmful bacteria in their small intestine are far more prone to developing a dangerous form of fatty liver disease.
  • Leaky gut syndrome occurs when the mucous lining of the intestines becomes irritated and inflamed, making it more porous than it should be. This allows undigested food molecules, microbes (and their toxins), fungi and other toxins to gain entry into your bloodstream.

All blood from your intestines travels to your liver first. If the bowel is toxic, this means a great deal of toxic waste is delivered to the liver each day.

Researchers believe that it is especially the toxins secreted by gram-negative bacteria in the small intestine (called lipopolysaccharides) that cause most harm to the liver. These toxins stimulate immune cells within the liver, which causes wear and tear, inflammation and tissue damage in the liver.

How to know if you have leaky gut or an overgrowth of bad bacteria

The following symptoms may be clues:

  • Food allergies
  • Eczema
  • Abdominal bloating after eating
  • Indigestion, heartburn or reflux
  • Constipation or diarrhea
  • Flatulence or burping
  • Fibromyalgia

These symptoms are extremely common, however they should not be ignored. The health of your gut has an enormous impact on your whole body.

The concept that increased intestinal permeability and bad bugs in the gut can contribute to disease was first proposed in 1890 by Llewellyn Jones, who published “Theory of auto-intoxication from gut bacteria”. That statement is very true; we do poison ourselves if we have the wrong gut bacteria inside us.

There is a great deal of information about leaky gut and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in the book Healing Autoimmune Disease: A plan to help your immune system and reduce inflammation.

BactoClear capsules contain berberine and the essential oils of clove, oregano and thyme. They help to relieve bloating and indigestion by killing bad bugs in the gut. They have a natural disinfectant action in the gut. Livatone capsules contain herbs traditionally used in European herbal medicine to enhance healthy liver function, reduce inflammation and repair damaged liver cells.

Reference

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