More and more people are being told by their doctor that they have a fatty liver. What does that mean? What is causing it? How do you fix it?
WHAT IS FATTY LIVER?
NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) or fatty liver for short is a large term for a range of liver conditions for people who drink little or no alcohol. As the name implies, the main characteristic is when too much fat is stored in the liver. Fatty liver disease can lead to liver inflammation and liver damage, resulting in a more aggressive disease called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH can progress to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), liver cancer, and liver failure.
WHAT CAUSES FATTY LIVER?
So does that mean it’s caused by eating too much fat? Not necessarily!
Have you heard of foie gras? It is a delicacy served in France made from duck or goose liver. Foie gras literally means liver fat in French. In France, it is made by force-feeding geese and ducks a combination of corn and starch (NOT FAT!) intentionally creating a “fatty liver”.
In the US, it’s similar. It’s not because of excessive fat intake in our diet but instead it’s due to the 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour we eat in our diet yearly. Two hundred years ago, the average American ate only 2 pounds of sugar a year. And now, the average American eats 3 pounds (or 6 cups) of sugar in one week! (1)
In addition, fatty liver is largely associated with obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and high triglycerides. About half of diabetics also have fatty liver. And we know diabetes is associated to high sugars in our blood not fat.
DO ALL SUGARS CONTRIBUTE TO FATTY LIVER?
Consumption of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is the #1 “sugar” linked to fatty liver. Interestingly, in the 1970’s HFCS was introduced as an inexpensive substitute for cane sugar. It’s now used to sweeten a variety of foods, including soda, candy, baked goods, tomato sauce, ketchup, and cereals. In America, fructose intake of the average American is 10.2% of total caloric intake. Eating fructose increases your risk of developing fatty liver 2 to 3 fold (2). Not only has excessive intake of HFCS been linked to fatty liver, but it’s also linked to other health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer (3).
CAN I REVERSE FATTY LIVER DISEASE?
YES! YES! YES!
Listed below are the main areas of your lifestyle to make changes to help reverse or prevent fatty liver disease. Depending on the severity of your condition alterations to the following plan may be needed, but here are some key areas to start making changes:
GET RID OF HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! Yes that means eliminate everything that contains it. You’ll be surprised when you start reading labels on how many things in your fridge and pantry contain HFCS. Check your yogurt! You think you are doing a good thing by eating a yogurt everyday, but instead you could be setting yourself up for health conditions you are trying to prevent. Salad dressing, tomato sauces, BBQ sauce, etc are other places you might not think to look. Check all your labels (healthy and not healthy foods) and eliminate anything that contain it.
REDUCE INTAKE OF FLOURS AND STARCH! Definitely eliminate all white, processed flours, but be aware of the alternatives! Whole grain flours can also increase your blood sugar levels which then stress your liver and result in high triglycerides. Also, gluten free flour alternatives are very high in starch so use them minimally.
EAT MORE FAT AND PROTEIN! Weird right? You have fatty liver but I am telling you to eat FAT..yep! Choose healthy fats like olive oil, avocados, nuts, fish, etc., and choose organic hormone free proteins (plant and/or animal proteins). Incorporating these foods in addition to increasing consumption of vegetables and low sugar fruits will help fill the void after eliminating all your high starch flours and sugars.
EXERCISE! Improve your metabolism by exercising. Routine daily exercise improves insulin resistance and reduces fatty liver. Start slow if you are not conditioned, but working your way up to 30 minutes 5 days a week to a higher intensity workout aids in better health benefits.
SUPPLEMENTS! There are many supplements that can help reverse or prevent fatty liver disease. Herbs like milk thistle are great for supporting the liver. I also use nutrients like alpha lipoic acid and N-acetyl-cysteine, which make powerful antioxidants to heal and rejuvenate your liver. I do recommend reaching out to a licensed Naturopathic Physician to help tailor your supplement regime especially if you are currently taking other medications.
REFERENCES
https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/nhp/documents/sugar.pdf
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18395287/
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-high-fructose-intake-may-trigger-fatty-liver-disease
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Since 2005, Dr Fey has helped women, men, and children find real solutions to their health concerns. She truly believes that giving the proper care and nutrients your body has an amazing ability to heal. She is committed to finding the root cause of illness by utilizing a whole body approach not just focusing solely on presenting symptoms. With her scientific background, Dr Fey uses science based natural approaches to treating disease.
Dr. Amanda Fey is the owner and practicing Naturopathic Doctor at Complementary Medicine & Healing Arts, the Southern Tiers Center for Natural Healthcare located in the Binghamton NY area. The office website is www.naturallywell.us. Dr Fey is currently offering telemedicine for patients all across the US. To contact the office call 607-729-0591 or email cmhahealth@gmail.com.