Having small amounts of fat in your liver is normal, but too much can lead to serious complications. Fatty Liver Disease is a build-up of abnormally high quantity of fats in the liver that can cause liver inflammation, which can damage your liver and create scarring. In severe cases, this scarring can develop into advanced irreversible scarring (cirrhosis) leading to liver failure or liver cancer.
Fatty liver disease often goes unnoticed until damage is done. Many people don't know they have a fatty liver, leading to its reputation as a “silent killer.” It usually causes no pain or any other symptoms.
Development of fatty liver in someone who drinks a lot of alcohol is known as alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD). While, for individuals who don’t drink alcohol, it is referred to as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Globally, one in every three individuals is suffering from fatty liver disease.
Drinking high amounts of alcohol puts you at maximum risk of developing fatty liver. You may also be at heightened risk if having one of the following conditions: obesity, diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance, history of certain infections, such as hepatitis C, high cholesterol, high triglyceride, take certain medications (methotrexate, tamoxifen, amiodorone, valproic acid), polycystic ovary syndrome, pregnant, and metabolic syndrome OR having a family history of fatty liver disease.
To prevent fatty liver and its potential complications, it is important to improve your overall health by following a healthy lifestyle which include- limiting alcohol use, maintaining healthy weight, controlling blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol levels, nutrient rich diet, and a minimum of 30 minutes exercise daily.
Overall, it is possible to reverse fatty liver in early stages through lifestyle changes and some therapeutic interventions. And remember, the greatest risk for people with a fatty liver is still cardiovascular disease. Although, it is often hard to make the above mentioned lifestyle changes, the benefits are immense particularly if you have fatty liver and these habits will also help keep your heart healthy.
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