Author: Maria Alfano
No fatty liver signs were apparent when I was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). I hadn’t even heard of such a thing until that time. Here I was experiencing this for the first time, bewildered and bamboozled because I could not comprehend what the doctor was saying.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver? What? I don’t even drink socially so how could I be experiencing such a thing? Wasn’t fatty liver associated with alcohol consumption? Why was this happening to me? All questions I am sure you asked yourself a thousand times.
I always thought liver disease was for alcoholics not for people like me. I rarely drink, even socially, I prefer sparkling water to an adult beverage. NAFLD impacts so many people/ The scary thing is the symptoms rarely suggest there is an issue with the liver. They are common to many other health issues one can experience. If you are like me, then this post is for you!
This post will explore the fatty liver signs, the symptoms, and what you can do to reverse your fatty liver.
Fatty Liver Signs, Symptoms & The Cure You Need To Know About Before It’s Too Late
So what is NAFLD you ask? You’re reasonably healthy and you are not experiencing anything unusual so why should you care about fatty liver? How is NAFLD different from NASH? Here goes.
WHAT IS Fatty Liver DIsease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the generic term for a range of liver diseases. NAFLD is most commonly a result of the overconsumption of sugars and fats – more than what your body needs or can handle. This excess is stored in the liver. Fatty liver can be benign but if not managed will lead to more dangerous diseases like cirrhosis and cancer. More than 5% of fat built up in the liver is considered to be the distinction of fatty liver disease.
The liver is responsible for detoxifying and purifying the blood. It metabolizes fat, produces and excretes bile, and so much more. Fatty liver can cause both inflammation and scarring in the liver which negatively impacts liver function.
NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) is the ugly cousin of NAFLD. When diagnosed with NASH, you have ignored your fatty liver signs for way too long and your liver has decided it can’t take anymore. Liver disease has now advanced to cause real damage and sadly cannot be reversed or cured at this stage. NASH is often the precursor to cirrhosis and liver cancer which could eventually lead to a liver transplant. Unlike NAFLD, NASH is similar to liver diseases caused by many years of too much alcohol consumption. You don’t have to be a drinker to get Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis. NASH is the final irreversible stage of fatty liver disease.
Fatty Liver Signs
While NAFLD typically does not display many symptoms, some folks have complained of fatigue and soreness in the upper right abdomen. Others have shown abdominal swelling, red palms, and enlarged blood vessels beneath the skin.
SYMPtoms
Fatigue – everyone experiences fatigue or tiredness from time to time. This results from daily activities like run around doing errands, taking care of the family, or even a bad night’s sleep can leave you feeling tired. With fatty liver disease, this fatigue is constant and no amount of rest or sleep seems to get rid of the feeling of being overwhelming tired all time. There is no magic pill or cure. Dieticians suggest eating a well-balanced meal to reduce the amount of fat build-up in the liver.
Sore Abdomen – the liver is located in the upper right of your abdomen just below the ribcage. The pain is generated from a swollen liver that is pressing against the ribcage causing an annoying dull throb letting you know there is a problem.
Abdominal Swelling – ascites is a condition resulting from the scarring of the liver. This causes the blood vessels in the liver to expand thus swelling the size of both the liver and the abdomen.
Jaundice – often a yellowing of the skin and eyes is a symptom of advanced liver disease. Please note that jaundice could be a result of something more serious. Please contact your physician right away.
Conditions
There are conditions that encourage fatty liver. The diagnosis can only be done through blood work and/or ultrasound. If you suspect that you have any of these conditions related to fatty liver, go see your doctor right away. This illness is curable and reversible when caught early.
- Obesity – size does matter. Waist size that is. For a man, anything over 40″ and for a woman, anything over 35″ is considered obese. The job of the liver is to break down fat into energy the body needs to survive. With obesity, the liver can no longer process all the fat that passes through it and it starts to store it.
- Starvation and protein malnutrition – contrary to popular belief, prolonged starvation is not healthy for the liver. It can cause severe liver damage
- Rapid weight loss – although weight loss is a recommended resolution for NAFLD, rapid weight loss can inflict unnecessary oxidative stress on the liver.
- Surgery – NAFLD can sometimes be a side effect of the anesthesia used to put patients to sleep before the procedure. This is a result of insufficient amounts of blood flowing to the liver during the operation.
- Genetics – give you your eye color, hair color, how tall or short you are. It can also give you NAFLD. Defective enzymes used to metabolize protein, inherited from your predecessors will cause you to get fatty liver disease.
- Drug use – many recreational and prescribed drugs can interfere with the liver’s ability to excrete bile. Bile is the agent that helps your poop travel out of the body. Blocked bile can be a sign of worse issues. Check with your doctor before taking meds to ensure you won’t have any issues with your liver.
Other conditions that can contribute to the fatty liver
- Type 2 Diabetes – is in the top 6 killers of Americans in the 21st century. 50% of type 2 diabetics will be inflicted with NAFLD due to elevated risks of inflammation and scarring in the liver.
- Elevated blood lipids – better known as high cholesterol are one of the most common fatty liver signs. One of the liver’s jobs is to produce the HDL (good) cholesterol and pass it to the parts of the body that need it to function properly. HDL is like the cab driver who departs from the liver, picks up passengers along the way LDL (bad cholesterol) to drop them off the main station called Liver where they are then expelled by the body. Too much LDL means the liver is overwhelmed and it can’t keep up with the expulsion of these unwanted guests.
- Insulin resistance – means there are too many lipids in the liver that inhibit its normal function. This leads to insulin resistance that is the precursor to diabetes. It demonstrates itself approximately 10 years prior to the diabetic diagnosis giving you plenty of time to reverse the damage. As a type 2 diabetic, the amount of insulin you take is directly related to the amount of fat in your liver.
- High blood pressure – hypertension is the result of your heart working extra hard to pump the slow-moving blood through your veins and arteries. When your liver is scarred and it doesn’t get enough blood flow, it can shut down. The heart works extra hard to get as much blood to the injured organ as it can to prevent its demise. Hypertension can cause additional scarring and injury to the liver from the force used to push the blood through.
Prevention and Reversal
The best news is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is reversible. Just a few simple changes to your lifestyle will turn these fatty liver signs inside out and make them disappear as long as you are consistent. It is vital that as we age we have better control of NAFD because our hormone levels decline and keeping our liver healthy can be tricky on its own without adding any of the following complications.
- Get to a healthy body weight – the average weight for a woman 5’5″ is between 114-149 lbs. The average male 6’0″ tall should weigh between 160 and 200 lbs.
- Regular aerobic exercise 3-5 times per week for at least 30 minutes
- Limit the amount of alcohol you consume – keep it to less than 2 beverages per week
- Take the meds as prescribed by your physician
Best Foods For Fatty Liver
The best thing you can do for your liver is to avoid added sugars and sodas. Instead, add some of the following foods:
- Coffee – lowers the abnormal liver enzymes
- Broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts – help reduce calorie intake and avoid fats and help you feel full longer
- Oatmeal – not only gives you energy but also gives you the roughage you need to clean out the body
- Garlic – helps with weight and fat loss
- Green tea – powerful protective properties for the liver and has many antioxidants
This post was all about the difference between NASH and NAFLD, fatty liver signs, symptoms, and what you can do to reverse NAFLD.