If you've been diagnosed with any fatty liver disease, let your health care provider know if you have any symptoms that mean the disease is getting worse. These include fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, fluid retention, or bleeding.
Fatty liver disease doesn't cause major problems for most people. However, it can turn into a more serious problem if it progresses into cirrhosis of the liver. Untreated cirrhosis of the liver eventually leads to liver failure or liver cancer. Your liver is an organ you can't live without.
Patients can live for many years with NAFLD, but many – about 30% – eventually end up with an inflamed liver or NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), and scarring. Of these, about 20% will develop end-stage cirrhosis, which can lead to liver failure and cancer.
Fatty liver disease is a build-up of fats in the liver that can damage the organ and lead to serious complications. Risk factors include obesity, a high-fat diet, high alcohol intake and diabetes mellitus.
Fibrosis progresses at a speed of 0.07 stages/year in NAFL and 0.14 stages/year in NASH, so NAFL progresses by 1 stage every 14 years and NASH by 1 stage every 7 years (4).
If you're diagnosed with NAFLD, further tests may be needed to determine which stage you have. This may involve a special blood test or having another type of ultrasound scan (Fibroscan). Some people may also need a small sample of liver tissue (biopsy) taken using a needle to have it analysed in a laboratory.
The main complication of NAFLD and NASH is cirrhosis, which is late-stage scarring in the liver. Cirrhosis occurs in response to liver injury, such as the inflammation in NASH . As the liver tries to halt inflammation, it produces areas of scarring (fibrosis).
Replace saturated fats with healthier unsaturated fats, like those in fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid foods and drinks with large amounts of sugars, especially fructose. These include sweetened soft drinks, sports drinks, sweetened tea, and juices.
Moderate or heavy alcohol use can cause additional damage and fat accumulation in the liver in people with NAFLD. Therefore, patients with NAFLD should avoid alcohol entirely if possible.
Non-alcohol related fatty liver disease isn't life-threatening by itself. You may live the rest of your natural life without having any complications from it. It becomes more complicated for a small percentage of people when it turns to steatohepatitis (NASH), and especially when NASH progresses to cirrhosis.
It takes upwards of ten years for alcohol-related liver disease to progress from fatty liver through fibrosis to cirrhosis to acute on chronic liver failure. This process is silent and symptom free and can easily be missed in primary care, usually presenting with advanced cirrhosis.
Recent Findings. Significant weight loss can improve NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Diet and exercise that result in a sustained body weight reduction of 7–10% can improve liver fat content, NASH, and fibrosis.
If you have fatty liver disease, the damage may be reversed if you abstain from alcohol for a period of time (this could be months or years). After this point, it's usually safe to start drinking again if you stick to the NHS guidelines on alcohol units. However, it's important to check with your doctor first.
According to the American Liver Foundation, there are no medical treatments – yet – for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. So that means that eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are the best ways to both prevent liver damage from starting or reverse liver disease once it's in the early stages.
It is a low-carbohydrate diet that reduces glycogen (energy stored in the liver), water and fat in the liver. The diet consists of proteins such as beef, pork, eggs, seafood or chicken, and non-starchy carbohydrates including foods like broccoli, cauliflower, leafy green vegetables.
The most effective treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is weight loss, which has been shown to decrease the amount of fat in the liver and the inflammation caused by the fat.
Aerobic exercise can actually cut the amount of fat in your liver. A heavy workout may also lower inflammation. Resistance or strength training exercises, like weight lifting, can also improve fatty liver disease.
Processed cheese is bad for your liver as it comes under the category of processed foods and has high sodium content and saturated fats. Excess consumption can lead to fatty liver diseases, plus obesity.
Key differences between fatty liver disease and cirrhosis
Fatty liver disease is defined by the buildup of fat cells in the liver, but cirrhosis is the formation of scar tissue on top of normal areas of tissue. Both groups of fatty liver disease (AFLD and NAFLD) can lead to cirrhosis when not treated in time.
Research shows that a brisk walk is just as good as a jog when it comes to fighting NonAlcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Source. That means moderate exercise is just as good as more intense exercise in fatty liver treatment. Walking is a great way to be more active and to gain health benefits.
Losing weight may be especially difficult for people with fatty liver disease due to differences in their metabolism. But nonetheless, some can succeed and doing so improves liver health, according to studies presented at the AASLD Liver Meeting last week in Boston.
However, NAFLD typically is diagnosed between the ages of 10–13 years. The actual onset of disease for most children is not known. At diagnosis 10–25% of children can have advanced fibrosis. In the most severe cases, children can progress within a few years to cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease.