Once associated with alcoholics, fatty liver disease is now present in about 30% of non-alcoholic American adults. In fact, if you are obese, you could be among the 75% of obese people who have fatty livers. Or, if you are a Type 2 diabetic, you may be one of the 70 to 85% of diabetics with it. The number of people with fatty liver disease is growing exponentially.
There are actually two types of fatty liver disease. The first one is the fatty liver disease of people who drink two or more alcoholic drinks per day and it termed ‘alcoholic fatty liver disease. The second type covers the non-drinking (less than two drinks per day) population and it is found most often in those who are obese or people with Type 2 diabetes. This type is called ‘non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and is abbreviated as NAFLD. In this article we are going to be talking only about the non-alcoholic type of fatty liver disease.
The name ‘fatty liver disease’ pretty much describes the disease. Fat is accumulating in the liver. The fat is made up of triglycerides, as is all the fat we carry in our body. When the amount of fat in the liver reaches a certain stage, specifically 5 to 10% of the weight of the liver, then it is referred to as a disease. But, there are usually no symptoms of the disease at this point.
However, as the fat continues to accumulate in the liver, the disease progresses, symptoms began to appear and the seriousness of the fatty liver disease increases. In fact, fatty livers are predicted to become the primary reason for the need for liver transplants in the next decade. This is because our liver can get so fatty that it fails to function properly. This is called liver failure.
The fat that is accumulating in the liver comes from several sources. It can come as a result of our fat tissue releasing free fatty acids into the blood, which then head over to the liver. Fat can come from the digestion of certain carbs in the liver. And it can accumulate from the dietary fats being broken down by the liver. However, all of these fats have their origin in the food we eat. In fact, after a high fat meal, we can carry so much fat in our blood that our blood can look milky.
The primary food we need to steer away from is not necessarily fat, but the highly refined, processed carbohydrates. These include products that contain refined sugar, which is the white table sugar. High fructose corn syrup is another ‘food’ that can add to the problem of fatty liver disease. Trans fats are the type of fat that every one of us should totally avoid. Trans fats are lethal.
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High blood triglycerides are a good indication that you could develop fatty liver disease. Monitor your liver health through the results of the lipid panel. Get your blood tested on a yearly basis. If your lipid panel shows high triglycerides, that is a warning to you that fatty liver disease is not far behind. Find out more about high triglycerides.
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