Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments

nonalcoholic fatty liver disease What does the term non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD mean? Fatty liver disease refers to the excessive fat accumulated in the liver. You might be thinking; how can non-alcoholics get a fatty liver? But it’s the most reported liver disease. While heavy drinking leads the fat to settle down in the
liver, many more recorded practices lead to the development of a fatty liver that can lead to NAFLD or in worst cases, NASH. We will be discussing the measures to reduce the fat in the liver and foods to avoid if you have NAFLD.

Let’s understand what’s it all about.
NAFLD 2

When we talk about fatty liver, the common conception is that one gets a fatty liver from the consumption of alcohol. But several other reasons are underlying behind the growth of fat in the liver. Let’s talk about NAFLD in India in 2020. Studies show, the most reported and chronic liver disease till date is NAFLD or NASH. Due to the unruly and reckless food habits of people these days, there are numerous diseases which take place slowly and grows into something incurable. Fatty liver is one of those chronic liver diseases that is reported. Let’s dive into the causes and treatments of fatty liver or as the umbrella term goes – NAFLD.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF NAFLD?

First, let’s look at what causes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. NAFLD is an acute liver condition where reasons like obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and consumption of junk food and sugar-based beverages trigger the disease. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a type of NAFLD that leads to severe complications like cirrhosis, scarring, and fibrosis. These complications, if left untreated, can lead to liver failure and death. Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease causes health risks from the consumption of sugary beverages like drinks which are majorly made up of sugar and directly affect the liver. Also, obesity makes up one of the major Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Causes.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF NAFLD?

Now, is it easy to find out if you have a fatty liver? Let’s look at the Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease symptoms.
NAFLD is known as the ‘silent killer’ because it initially does not show any significant symptoms. Some of the symptoms like the enlarged spleen, excess belly fat, high blood pressure, fatigue, pain in the abdomen, high levels of triglyceride and other symptoms, show that the liver is getting weak and fat is accumulating in it. The liver, when weakened with fat, can’t take up the sugar while responding to the hormone insulin, making it insulin resistance.
We also tag it as a Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease when high levels of fat get accumulate in a concentrated manner.

WHAT ARE THE FOODS BEHIND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NAFLD?

We often don’t realise how the foods we eat affect us. As mentioned already, Food to Avoid in Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease consists of fat-based food and sugar-based beverages. The Foods to avoid if you have NAFLD are sugar-based drinks, food that is immensely packed with carbohydrates and fat. Alcohol is a big no-no when it comes to being the matter of a healthy liver. If alcohol is not avoided it can lead to ALD (alcohol-related fatty liver disease) the effects of which can be irreversible.

FOODS THAT CAN BE A BOON WHILE HAVING NAFLD/ FOODS TO TAKE DURING NAFLD

While we have read about foods to avoid if you have NAFLD, there are also some food items that can work miracle and cope with the effects of NAFLD. Let us learn about a few of such food items that will help in coping with fatty liver and in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatment.

Milk thistle

Milk Thistle has liver-protecting powers. It is said to help reduce inflammation in the liver and accelerate the reduction of liver fat. It’s one of the most recommended diets for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Berberine

a plant compound helps to reduce blood sugar significantly, along with bringing down the cholesterol level in your body. Fatty liver causes include sugar-induced food products. Berberine helps in bringing down the blood sugar to a recognizable amount leading to a reduction of fat in the liver. The consumption of berberine can also be counted as a NonAlcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatment.

Omega-3 fatty acid

Dosages of omega-3 fatty acid fight the settling down of fat in the livers in adults and children as well. Intake of fish oil and changes in dietary routine can boost the reduction of fatty liver. Among many of the fatty liver treatment, consumption of omega-3 fatty acid is more beneficial for a healthy liver.

Moreover, a massive change in lifestyle and food consumption is advised for the reduction of NAFLD. Also, Foods to avoid If You Have NAFLD are – sugar-based beverages, alcohol, food having less carbohydrate content. Increase the level of fruits and veggies in your diet. A low-fat and low-calorie diet can act as a Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

WHAT ARE THE TREATMENTS AND MEASURES OF NAFLD?

There are certain steps that can be taken for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatment

Losing the fat

While weight loss is one of the ways to cope with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in India, dietary action also helps cope with the fatal disease. Reducing calorie intake and losing weight to a significant level can help decrease the level of fat in the liver. Consuming foods that help lose liver fat such as foods that include olive oil, avocados, and various nuts that help promote loss of live fat. Also, whey protein helps lower the liver enzymes and help cope with NAFLD. Sipping on green tea also decreases liver fat as it contains the antioxidant – catechins, which helps reduce the inflammation in patients with NAFLD. Also, consuming soluble fiber can decrease liver fat and can be considered as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatment.

Get the muscles working

As a Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatment, working the muscles is recommended to reduce the fat stored in the liver cells and decreases the risk of NAFLD. 30-60 minutes of workout results in a huge reduction of the risk of fatty liver. A regular workout can get the muscles working and lose the fat that leads to the fat to settle in the liver. Working out is also recommended as Exercise for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Diseases and it helps reduce the fat in the liver leading to a drop of risk in health due to fatty liver. Physical Exercise on NAFLD is highly recommended as it the only natural way to discard fat from the body.

TESTS FOR FATTY LIVER

If you want to find out if there is fat accumulated in your liver, there are several Nafld Tests that can be taken to find out about NAFLD.
As we progress towards a healthy lifestyle, we sometimes fall in the hands of NAFLD. We ignore the symptoms which accelerate the disease even more. Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Symptoms consists of extreme fatigue and weakness, chronic pain in the abdominal area, increase in the levels of liver enzymes, including AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) and ALT (Alanine Transaminase), increase in the insulin levels, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting, yellowing of eyes and many more.

In such cases, take regular doctor consultation, and proper diet to stop the progress in the increase of liver fat as a treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Take blood tests that will show you if you have high levels of ALT and AST. Also, imaging tests such as ultrasound and MRI can help you show if you have fat in your liver. If things get a little too risky, a liver biopsy can be another option for NAFLD Test. Tissue from the liver is taken and tested for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatment.
The good news is, this disease is manageable and curable and can be halted or even reversed with the right treatment and lifestyle changes. Keeping blood pressure and diabetes in control, taking vitamin E treatment, and following the above diet and exercise schedule will surely help stop the progression of NAFLD in India.
In a nutshell, our health is our responsibility and the right measures taken at the right time can prevent the most fatal diseases.