Dear Dr Cabot, My son who is 17 years old has a fatty liver and is 50 pounds overweight. We have a family history of type 2 diabetes, and I am worried that he is heading in that direction. He craves carbohydrates like bread, pasta, cookies, ice-cream, cakes, soda and candy. He seems to be always hungry and tired. I had no idea that he could have a fatty liver at this young age but the doctor found it on an ultrasound scan. The doctor also surprised me when he told us that he sees fatty livers in children as young as 6 years of age! There were streaks of fatty infiltration through my son’s liver, which the doctor pointed out to us on the ultrasound scan. His liver enzymes were slightly raised. The doctor told us that he must lose weight and start to exercise, but it is very difficult because he is always tired and hungry. What do you suggest? Thank you Sally

Dear Sally,

Your son has the condition called “NASH”, which stands for “Non-Alcoholic- Steatorrhoeic Hepatosis”. Due to modern day diet and lifestyle factors this condition has become very common. It once only occurred in middle aged people but is now common in teenagers and children. Some of these children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which severely reduces their lifespan and quality of life. It is true that your son must lose weight and start to exercise, but there are a number of ways to achieve this more easily. They are –
  • Improve the liver’s ability to burn fat
  • Follow the way of eating on page 34 in my book on Syndrome X
  • Avoid all industrial seed oils that are high in oxidized omega 6 fats.
  • Avoid refined sugars as found in cakes and cookies
  • Drink raw vegetable juices every day – see juice recipes in my raw juices book.
  • Take a good liver tonic in the form of a powder or capsules everyday.
By improving his liver function he will have the energy to exercise. In those with a fatty liver, there is often excessive and constant hunger because of high blood sugar levels, which cause high blood insulin levels. High levels of insulin make you feel hungry. Thus we need to reduce his levels of blood sugar and insulin. To do this he needs to do the following -
  • The natural plant extract berberine helps to improve insulin function. In this way it helps to normalize blood sugar and greatly reduce hunger and cravings. It makes sticking to a healthy diet much easier.
  • Ensure that he eats first class protein with every meal (3 times daily) – such as pastured red meat, free range chicken, eggs, seafood, or whey protein powder.
  • Make sure that this is combined with cooked vegetables and raw vegetable salad. Dressings may consist of cold pressed oils, balsamic vinegar or citrus juices. It is best to minimize the ingestion of carbohydrates, especially those containing refined flour and sugar such as many breads and breakfast cereals.
These strategies will make it much easier for him to lose weight, as his hunger will be greatly reduced. If he becomes hungry, offer him protein, coconut oil and avocado. Two pieces of fruit daily are acceptable. Unless specific strategies to improve the liver function and reduce blood sugar and insulin levels are followed, his chances of success are not high. Try to get him involved in sports he enjoys such as rowing, cricket, golf or swimming.   The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.