Fatty Liver

Do you know that your liver is one of the most essential organs in your body? Your liver supports you every day by:

• Cleaning your blood of toxins
• Giving you energy
• Helping you digest food

Fatty liver disease is now the most common cause of liver failure and the need for a liver transplant. Without your liver, your body can’t function. So don’t let fatty liver disease get in your way. Working with a gastroenterologist can help manage your condition and reduce your risk of liver damage.

So many people have this preventable disease, yet they are NOT aware of it. If you are overweight, have diabetes, or take medications for your heart or cholesterol, talk to you healthcare specialist about whether you need to be checked and treated for fatty liver.

This page will first discuss the different types of fatty liver disease. We’ll then highlight fatty liver symptoms and the potential causes of fatty liver. We’ll also outline how we diagnose this condition. Lastly, we’ll discuss treatment for fatty liver.

Fatty liver disease occurs when fat accumulates in the liver. There are 2 main types of fatty liver disease: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease occurs in the absence of heavy alcohol consumption. This condition is associated with obesity or excess weight. About 100 million people in the United States have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. This stage of fatty liver disease causes little to no liver damage.

But if fat continues to build in the liver, it can lead to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. This condition is a more severe form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that causes liver inflammation and cell death.

Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Alcoholic fatty liver disease occurs as a result of heavy drinking. Heavy drinking describes:

• 4 or more drinks per day for women
• 8 or more drinks per week for women
• 5 or more drinks per day for men
• 15 or more drinks per week for men

Excessive alcohol consumption causes fat cells to build up inside the liver, making it harder for the liver to function. Alcoholic fatty liver disease can progress to alcoholic hepatitis if not treated. This condition causes inflammation of the liver and destroys liver cells.

Fatty liver disease often progresses silently, without any symptoms. You may not experience symptoms until the later stages of the disease.

Symptoms of fatty liver disease may include:

• Abdominal pain
• Accumulation of abdominal fluid (ascites)
• Confusion
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
• Nausea
• Swelling in the arms and legs (edema)
• Vomiting
• Weight loss

If you experience any of the above symptoms, you should contact your doctor immediately.

The causes of fatty liver disease are not yet known. But certain risk factors can contribute to this condition. However, not everyone with an increased risk of fatty liver develops this disease. Some people even develop fatty liver without known risk factors.

Risk factors for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease include:

• Obesity
• Metabolic syndrome
• High levels of fat in the blood
• High cholesterol
• Sleep apnea
• Type 2 diabetes
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
• Underactive pituitary gland (hypopituitarism)

Risk factors for alcoholic fatty liver disease include:

• Alcohol consumption
• Obesity
• Malnutrition
• Genetics
• Race and ethnicity
• Gender
• Viral hepatitis

The causes of fatty liver disrupt the normal cycle of inflammation and healing in the liver. This leads to persistent inflammation that damages the liver cells. Over time, the liver develops scars or fibroids.

If fatty liver disease is not treated, you may develop complications such as cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis occurs when scar tissue replaces liver cells. This condition can lead to liver failure or liver cancer.

Fatty liver disease often goes undetected because it causes few symptoms. You may receive a diagnosis of fatty liver after receiving testing for a different medical reason.

Tests that can confirm a fatty liver diagnosis include:

• Blood tests
• Liver ultrasound
• CT scan
• MRI
• Liver biopsy

A liver biopsy is the only test that can reveal the extent of liver damage.

Treatment for fatty liver is most successful if the disease is caught early. But once fatty liver disease progresses to cirrhosis, there is usually no cure. Treatment differs depending on the causes of fatty liver. We’ll discuss treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver and alcoholic fatty liver below.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease focuses on making healthy lifestyle choices. You can prevent or reverse this type of fatty liver disease by:

• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Eating a plant-based diet
• Exercising regularly
• Limiting alcohol consumption

Dr. Islam tells his patients to follow the KISS (keep it simple) plan when thinking about dietary changes. He recommends avoiding these 6 foods:

1. Pasta
2. Pizza
3. Rice
4. Potatoes
5. Bread
6. Tortillas (because he lives in Texas)

9 foods Recommended to Help Improve Your Liver:

1. Artichokes – helps with liver detoxification
2. Dandelion Green – increases the amount of bile flowing in the liver
3. Carrots – beta-Carotene that can help to improve liver injury
4. Turmeric – helps safeguard the liver cells from injury and enhance detoxification of the liver
5. Broccoli Sprouts – high sulforaphane content, which reduces stress in the liver and reduce inflammation
6. Garlic – helps as an antioxidant and reduces stress in the liver
7. Beets – high antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and helps to support detoxification of the liver
8. Lemons – help to improve liver damage
9. Berries – rich in ellagic acid, which can reduce liver inflammation

Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

#1 TIP: Avoid drinking alcohol. Not the advice most want to hear, but it is that simple.

• Alcohol can cause direct damage to your liver
• Alcohol will increase the amount of fat in your liver

You can typically heal the liver damage from this disease if you stop drinking for 2 weeks. This allows the liver to regenerate new, healthy cells. After your recovery, you can prevent the recurrence of fatty liver disease by drinking alcohol in moderation.

Moderate drinking describes:

• 1 drink per day for women
• 2 drinks per day for men

If you have alcoholic hepatitis, the only treatment is to stop drinking alcohol permanently. If you keep drinking, the disease can cause life-threatening complications.

Fatty liver disease is a silent disease that often progresses without any symptoms. You can reduce your risk of fatty liver by making healthy lifestyle choices. We also offer preventative screening at our Lubbock, TX gastroenterology office. Identifying fatty liver disease early in its development is the best way to reverse liver damage.

Dr. Sameer Islam is a gastroenterologist and West Texas native. He specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal and liver conditions.

If you want to improve your liver health, you can schedule an appointment online or call our office at 806-696-4440.