Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is and abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver. NAFLD can progress to Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) where the accumulation of fat leads to inflammation and damage to liver cells. NASH can progress to Cirrhosis in which the damaged cells cause scarring which interferes with the functions of the liver.
The 6 main functions of our liver are: Bile production and excretion, which are necessary for the digestion of food ; Filtering and excretion of bilirubin, proteins, hormones and drugs from our blood stream; Metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates ; Enzyme activation ; Storage of glycogen, vitamins and minerals ; Synthesis of plasma proteins, such as albumin, and clotting factors.
Fat should be stored in fat cells, not in the liver. In metabolizing the fats, proteins and carbohydrates, in the typical western diet there are too many carbohydrates from refined and ultra processed foods for the liver to deal with. Carbohydrates are broken down into sugars that are then used as energy or converted into glycogen and stored in the liver for quick use when necessary. Too much glycogen and no more room for storage, it then gets converted to fat and stored as fat. All fat is basically stored energy. When it gets converted to fat by the liver it is gets shipped out to the fat cells, unless there is too much of it some of the fat then gets stored in the liver so it’s available for use. Most of us don’t need the stored fat because we have a steady supply of sugars in our diet we never need the stored fat for energy, so it continues to accumulate as long as we keep eating food with too many carbohydrates and too many calories in general. Our bodies need some fat, ( triglycerides ) used in our cell walls, our brain cells, making the hormones and enzymes our bodies need. It’s not the fat the we eat that is usually the problem. Too much carbohydrate as well as too much protein all gets converted to fat for storage when there is too much in our daily intake. To add to the fat storage is the hormones insulin. When we take in too much carbohydrate we then make more insulin to deal with the extra carbohydrates. Insulin is a storage hormone so all the extra carbohydrates get stored. The most efficient way to store it after the liver has its stores for the “quick energy”, is to get added to the fat cells. Extra protein that can’t be utilized by the body is also converted, first to sugar then to fat and then stored in the fat cells. Too much of this fat is created and the body stores where it can, including the liver, the muscles, around the organs and in the abdominal cavity, not just in the fat cells.
What are the signs and symptoms of fatty liver disease?
NAFLD rarely causes symptoms and is usually a coincidental finding of medical assessments and procedures. NAFLD is suspected when routine blood work is done and the liver enzymes are abnormal or when the liver is palpated by your doctor and found to be enlarged. NAFLD can also be seen if an ultrasound of the abdomen is done.
When Fatty Liver Disease progresses it causes inflammation to the cells in the liver and is called NonAlcoholic Steatohepatitis. This inflammation causes damage and death to the cells of the liver. The death of the cells causes scaring and the scarring leads to Cirrhoses of the liver. Cirrhosis of the liver is a serious medical condition that can lead to death. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and both now thought to be part of metabolic syndrome. Two thirds of people with Diabetes develop nonalcoholic liver disease. The majority of obese people develop NAFLD, not because they are diabetic but because they have metabolic syndrome. NAFLD is considered a manifestation, or to be caused by, metabolic syndrome, as is diabetes and obesity. It is important to note that Metabolic Syndrome can also lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease as well.
What is the treatment for NAFLD?
The number one treatment for NAFLD is to stop doing what caused it in the first place. Eating too much carbohydrate rich foods, refined and ultra processed foods. Fructose, such as high fructose corn syrup found in many if not most highly processed foods, is typically highly processed and is metabolized by the liver. Your liver doesn’t like it and has difficulty dealing with what isn’t real food anymore.
The natural fructose that is found in fruit is not processed at all, and hasn’t been heat sterilized or pasteurized. Your body loves it. Vegetables, greens, fruits, anything that goes into the body the way Mother Nature made it is what your body thrives on. For the Carnivores among us have smaller portions of meat and try to have a couple of meat free days now and again, add vegetables and greens to your meals. Give up the refined and high processed foods, anything with sugar ,refined white flour, anything with chemical additives, stabilizers and words you can’t pronounce. Your body doesn’t recognize any of these as food and doesn’t know what to do with it. Low carbohydrate diets are found to be the best choice giving the biggest benefits very quickly. Add intermittent fasting to the mix and the changes are profound.
The second important treatment on this list is to exercise. Our bodies are made to move. Go for a walk everyday. If you can only do 10 minutes on your feet then do that. Increase your time a few minutes every week. As you get more fit add different movements. Ride a bike with your children or friends, go swimming, play in the park with your dog. Any and all movement makes a difference. Start building muscles and increase your metabolism.
Sleep. Many of us don’t get enough of it. Many of us don’t even think about the quality of sleep we do get. 6 hours of sleep with the regular sleep cycles and regular REM constitutes quality sleep. 7, 8, or even 9 hours of interrupted, poor quality sleep, just doesn’t compare. Are you woken up several time through the night with noise, kids, too much light in your bedroom? Do you snore, or have sleep apnea? Sleep hygiene is very important to getting quality sleep. Start preparing your body for be long before you actually go to be. The light from your screen time - computer or TV can interfere with getting to sleep. No caffeine or alcohol for a few hours before bed. It’s hard to think sleep when you’ve just stimulated your body. There are plenty of sleep remedies to try for better quality sleep.
Manage your stress. Stress and how we deal with it dictates on may levels how our body deals with what we put into it (ie: food and chemicals) and what we do with it. Our own self talk has a big impact on how we deal with the stress in our lives.
See by blog on Managing Stress.
