Showing posts with label NAFLD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NAFLD. Show all posts

Monday, September 19, 2011

Fatty Liver Diet - Do's and Don'ts to Get Rid of Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

In her e-book, the "Fatty Liver Diet Guide", veteran liver nurse, Dorothy Spencer, tells us:
"Fatty Liver is not life threatening, but it has a high tendency to advance into more dangerous liver diseases such as hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, cancer of the liver and the worst-case condition which is hepatic necrosis."

She goes on to emphasize the importance of regulating your food intake with a highly nutritious diet focused on weight loss. 

ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a complex health problem that may worsen by a high-fat or high-carbohydrate diet, obesity, type 2 diabetes (diabetes milletus), insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and metabolic disorders.

By far, the most important things to consider for reversing fatty liver are nutritional changes and weight loss. The best diet plan for getting rid of a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) will focus on giving you correct nutritional guidance and helpful advice that is easy to follow.

Here are some "Do's and Don'ts" to think about when planning your fatty liver diet. These tips are aimed at bringing down excess fat in your liver and incorporating these changes into your daily diet and lifestyle:
Do eat vitamin particularly foods that are high in vitamin C, vitamin E, and B-complex vitamins. Do eat mineral rich foods, especially foods that are high folic acid (folic acid), manganese, and selenium. Do avoid compulsive eating by sticking to a balanced diet. Do eat small meals throughout the day, rather than only a couple of big meals. Don't eat meals late in the evening, eat more of your meals earlier in the day. Don't eat high-fat foods, especially saturated fats. Don't consume too much alcoholic beverages or high sugar beverages like energy drinks and soft drink. Do workout on a regular basis to lose weight slowly, inch by inch. Don't try "lose it all at once" weight-loss methods as these can be harsh on your liver. Don't eat red meat, ham, pork or fried foods. Do eat lean white meats, including chicken, turkey and fish. Do eat extra servings of veggies every day, especially fresh vegetables and leafy vegetables. Don't eat simple carbohydrates, which include white refined sugar, candy and sugary desserts. Do eat fresh fruits every day, in particular citrus fruits and lemons. Do eat complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice, beans, and whole grain cereals. Do eat foods that are high in fiber such as oats, bran cereals, and whole wheat breads.

Fatty Liver Diet - Do's and Don'ts to Get Rid of Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS

Monday, August 15, 2011

What Causes Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)?

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a range of disease states, from steatosis (fatty liver) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (also called NASH; steatosis with inflammatory changes) followed by progression to fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

The above may mean very little to the average person until you understand what function the liver actually has in your body.

ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS

The liver, believe it or not, is the second largest organ in your body and is located under your rib cage on the right side. The liver takes care of many jobs in your body. Most importantly it processes what we eat and drink into energy and nutrients our body can use. The liver also filters the blood and removes harmful substances from the blood. It breaks down and removes cholesterol and regulates the blood sugar throughout the body.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the build up of fat in liver cells that is not caused by alcohol. It is normal for the liver to contain some fat. However, if more than 5% - 10% percent of the liver's weight is fat, then it is called a fatty liver (steatosis).

NAFLD tends to develop in people who are overweight or obese or have diabetes, high cholesterol or high triglycerides. Rapid weight loss and poor eating habits also may lead to NAFLD. However, some people develop NAFLD even if they do not have any risk factors. NAFLD affects up to 50% of overweight people in the United States alone and the figures are similar in other westernised states.

In a few of the cases, fatty liver does not cause any harm; however, for some, the long-term presence of fat in the liver leads to inflammation. This is characterised by swelling and tenderness (hepatitis).

As is the case for a large number of diseases our diet plays a very important role. That being said you would think that by simply going on a diet and losing some weight would be enough to reverse NAFLD.

Well yes, a specific diet can reverse fatty liver disease, but a random diet plan will more than likely fail because of the following reasons.

1. The primary source of energy in people is Glycogen (which is a form of carbohydrates)

2. Glycogen is stored in the muscles and once they are full, it is stored in the liver. This means that once the liver is full the body recognizes that it is full of carbohydrates.

3. Body fat is burned only when glycogen from the blood, muscles and finally liver is depleted.

In people with fatty liver, the liver holds on to the carbohydrates in it's tissues and thus imitates a situation where the body is full of carbs. In this situation, the body "thinks" that there is no need to reach for the body fat because it has all the carbs it needs. Therefore a fatty liver can actually prevent you from losing weight.

On very rare occasions it can even result in our body decomposing muscle for energy instead of burning fat. This wreaks havoc in the body of a fatty liver sufferer.

What Causes Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)?

ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS