The one thing putting your liver at risk (HINT: It’s not alcohol)

March 20, 2016

The one thing putting your liver at risk (HINT: It’s not alcohol)

By: Bel Marra Health | Liver | Saturday, March 19, 2016 – 09:30 AM

Many of us still believe that alcohol, and alcohol alone, is the real threat to our livers. However, alcoholic fatty liver disease is slowly declining and giving way to a more threatening type of liver condition. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is growing to become the number one type of liver disease. Worse yet, it can strike those who have never even touched a drop of alcohol in their entire lives. In fact, the real threat comes from poor diet choices and lack of physical activity. Basically, being overweight is killing your liver.

Obesity linked with the rise in liver disease

In Canada, one in four individuals may become affected by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Cases of NAFLD are growing so quickly that it is expected to overthrow hepatitis C as the leading type of liver disease. What’s even worse, NAFLD is preventable, and yet numbers are still on the rise.

Dr. Eric Yoshida, chairman of the Canadian Liver Foundation’s Medical Advisory Committee, said, “Many people still believe that all liver disease is alcohol related. With the prevalence of non-alcoholic liver disease, however, the odds of anyone, including adults and children, being affected by liver disease are in the same realm as health conditions like heart disease or diabetes that Canadians are far more familiar with.”

An analysis of data revealed nearly 20 percent of the Canadian population have NAFLD, which can progress to fibrosis and eventually cirrhosis. Dr. Yoshida explained, “A diet full of sugar, high calorie and high fat foods can lead to excess fat being stored in the liver. This fat buildup might never impact the functioning of the liver, but it is the first step toward what could be a life-threatening condition.”

“NAFLD is already having an impact on the demand for liver transplants, but what few realize is that it is also affecting the supply. Too much fat in a donor liver can mean that that organ cannot be used for a transplant. This means it is making the organ shortage even worse and we are losing out on the opportunity to save more lives,” Dr. Yoshida added.

Only 10 years ago, the threat of liver disease in Canada was one in every 10, but it has quickly grown to one in every four individuals, raising alarm to the growing threat. As mentioned though, when it comes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, there are steps that can be taken in order to prevent it.

Tips to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

If you’re concerned about your liver health, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease types can be easily prevented through lifestyle habits. Here are some effective tips to not only protect your liver, but improve your overall health as well.

Lose weight if you are overweight, and maintain a healthy range.
Cut out foods with added sugar, saturated fat, trans fat, fried foods, and processed foods.
Exercise regularly.
Limit your alcohol intake.
Take medications only when required and follow prescription instructions and dosages.

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Simple trick for a healthier liver

We all know that alcohol is our liver’s number one nemesis, and if you’re up there in age, you may think there is nothing you can do to combat all those years of treating your liver poorly with booze. Alcohol has been linked to many liver conditions, such as alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver disease, and even fibrosis. Because everything we take into our bodies is passing through the liver, it can take a real beating.

In a perfect world, we would just have impeccable self-discipline to avoid alcohol altogether. Though, who are we kidding, a glass or two is likely to come up every now and then. But when it comes to excessive drinking, nothing was known to protect the liver from damage – until now.

Recent research suggests there is one thing that can help offer the liver protection – even in case of excessive drinking.

Aerobic exercise helps protect the liver from effects of excessive drinking

The researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine wanted to determine if increased aerobic exercise could offer protection to the liver from the damage caused by excessive drinking.

The researchers bred high activity rats to test if their increased metabolism protected their livers against fatty deposits and inflammation.

One group of rats was exposed to chronic alcohol use for six weeks, and the second group was not exposed to alcohol.

Professor and researcher Jamal Ibdah said, “As expected, we found that fatty deposits were greater in the livers of the chronic alcohol group. However, chronic alcohol ingestion did not cause significant inflammation in the liver. Higher physical activity levels seemed to protect against the metabolic dysfunction that eventually leads to irreversible liver damage.”

Furthermore, the researchers noted there was no increase in free fatty acids, triglycerides, insulin, or glucose in the rats exposed to alcohol, compared to the control group. The researchers explained that these levels are expected to be much higher – given the chronic consumption of alcohol – however, the aerobic exercise helped keep them flat.

Although additional research is required in order to better understand the role of aerobic exercise in liver protection against alcohol, the researchers are hopeful that with further exploration, exercise may become a viable treatment for liver disease and liver-related problems. In the meantime, it’s best to keep alcohol consumption in moderation.

Fatty liver and heart failure are linked in obese people

By: Mohan Garikiparithi | Health News | Tuesday, January 26, 2016 – 12:00 PM

A new study has found a link between fatty liver and heart failure in obese individuals. The findings stress the importance of dietary intervention in those who are obese.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common liver disease affecting 70 to 90 percent of obese individuals or diabetics, and 30 percent of the general population.

Lead author Ralph L. Widya said, “One of the unique aspects of our study is that we took all of the individual components of the metabolic syndrome into account as possible confounders in this association, as the metabolic syndrome is associated with NAFLD and with cardiovascular disease.”
The researchers used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure fat in the liver noninvasively and also used MRI to determine heart function of 714 patients. Forty-seven percent of participants were overweight and 12 percent were obese.

An increase in hepatic triglyceride revealed to be associated with a decrease in function of the left heart ventricle in obese people. Dr. Widya added, “Our results may be of importance in cardiovascular risk stratification in obesity, because there is a large variation in the degree of hepatic steatosis in obesity. Also, more emphasis should be put on dietary interventions to reduce or prevent hepatic steatosis.”

Although an association between fatty liver and heart failure has been found, there is still no clear understanding as to why they are linked. Several factors could play a role in this connection, like the presence of disease-fighting white blood cells or an increase in cytokines. Further research is required to obtain a more in-depth understanding of this association.

Sources:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/rson-slf012016.php

http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/nafld/

Posted in Fatty Liver and Nash, In The News and tagged diet, FLD, nafld, nash