Re: Fatty Liver Condition

Fatty Liver simply means there is more fat in the liver than normal. A person with a fatty liver is not necessarily ill.

Simple fatty liver is common. (In the US it is thought to occur in 1 in 4 adults.) Simple fatty liver is present when the fat content inside liver cells makes up more than 5-10% of the liver's weight. Simple fatty liver is not associated with serious damage or harm to the liver. It seems that the fat just builds up harmlessly in liver cells. It can occur for no apparent reason and for this reason it is difficult to know how to change ones lifestyle. Both exercise and weight are important factors.

Simple fatty liver (also called 'hepatic steatosis')

Fatty liver can be caused by certain chemical compounds and by nutritional and endocrine disorders. Drugs or poisons that can cause fatty liver include alcohol, tetracycline, cortisone, phosphorus and carbon tetrachloride. Of these, alcohol is by far the most common cause.

Nutritional causes of fatty liver are starvation, obesity, protein malnutrition and intestinal bypass operations for obesity. The endocrine disorder diabetes mellitus often leads to fatty liver. In all of these conditions the fatty deposits are occasionally accompanied by some inflammatory changes and scarring of the liver – so-called Non-Alcoholic SteatoHepatitis (NASH).

Uncomplicated fatty liver does not usually produce symptoms because fat accumulates slowly. When the fat content is increased rapidly the liver expands, stretching its covering, and pain results.

Fat enters the liver from the intestines and from the tissues. Under normal conditions, fat from the diet is metabolized by the liver and other tissues. If the amount exceeds what is required by the body it is stored and fat accumulates in the liver.

Fatty liver in people who drink too much alcohol is sometimes followed by more serious liver damage in the form of alcoholic hepatitis. Serious liver damage is less common in diabetes and obese people who don’t drink but if the fat has progressed to NASH then further progression to scarring and even cirrhosis can occur.

Treatment of fatty liver is related to the cause. Fat is decreased by removal of any drugs or other chemical compounds thought to be responsible. Nutritional causes are treated by altering the availability of fat coming into the liver. This is accomplished by providing available carbohydrates or by adding protein to overcome a complete or large deficiency in protein needed to make lipoproteins (proteins linked to fat and not capable of being dissolved in water).

To avoid fatty liver it is prudent not to drink to excess because alcohol can decrease the rate of metabolism and secretion of fat, leading to fatty liver. Overweight people may have fatty liver, and are also at risk for several more serious conditions such as high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. Starvation, excess dieting and protein malnutrition can also result in fatty liver.

ALthough Liver Flushing may help it is importtant to make changes to ones diet and the way one lives to effectively reverse the condition.
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