In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Abhai Singh, Senior Consultant, Gastroenterologist at Primus Super Specialty Hospital in New Delhi, suggested 5 dietary and lifestyle recommendations to help with fatty liver disease recovery -
1. Lose weight: A major risk factor for fatty liver disease is excess weight, especially around the waist. So, one of the best strategies to treat the illness is to lose weight. Even a small amount of weight loss, roughly 10% of your body weight, can benefit your liver.
2. Maintain a balanced diet: Fatty liver disease can be reversed with a healthy diet. Consume lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, avocados, nuts, and fatty fish as well as other healthy fats. Limit or stay away from alcohol, added sugars, and processed and fried foods.
3. Regular physical activity is crucial for treating fatty liver disease. Five days a week, try to get in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming.
4. Control your blood sugar: Fatty liver disease can develop as a result of high blood sugar levels. Consume less sugary foods and beverages and instead choose complex carbs like those in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
5. Reduce your alcohol consumption because it can harm your liver and make fatty liver disease worse. The best course of action if you have fatty liver disease is to never drink alcohol. If you do drink, keep your daily intake to one drink for women and two for men.
Fat in the liver can be reduced by losing at least 3 to 5 percent of your body weight and if you want to lessen liver inflammation, you might need to drop up to 10% of your body weight. Over the course of a year, doctors advise progressively decreasing 7 per cent or more of your body weight.
However, NAFLD may become worse if you lose a lot of weight quickly by fasting—not eating or drinking anything than water. Although most people's livers contain some fat, fatty liver disease can be identified when the liver's fat content exceeds 5% and this disorder is known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is most frequently connected to obesity and certain eating habits if it isn't caused by liver damage from excessive drinking.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Vikram Raut, Director of Liver Transplantation and HPB Surgery at Medicover Hospitals in Navi Mumbai, talked about the damages caused by excess fat to the liver and revealed, "The extra fat may accumulate in the liver of certain individuals without causing any liver disease. However, excess liver fat causes chronic liver inflammation in one in twenty individuals. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH (steato- meaning linked to fat and "hepatitis" means inflammation of the liver), is the name given to this illness."
He highlighted, “Chronic inflammation can cause persistent harm to the liver, just like other liver diseases like viral hepatitis or alcohol-related liver disease, which results in fibrosis, or liver scarring. Regardless matter the aetiology, severe fibrosis is referred to as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis patients are at risk for liver cancer and failure, and they may require a liver transplant.”
Asserting that weight loss is the key to preventing complications of fatty liver, he said, “The initial course of therapy involves diet and exercise. It is advised to engage in heart-pumping activities for at least 150 minutes per week. The greatest diets are ones that prioritise veggies and whole meals, while it is unclear which is optimum. NASH patients must safeguard their livers from any additional sources of liver inflammation. This entails refraining from alcohol and ensuring that you have had the hepatitis A and B vaccines. In order to lower the risk of heart disease and strokes, anyone with NASH should also recognise and treat any specific components of the metabolic syndrome they may have.”
Dietary changes and lifestyle adjustments that promote fat loss and reduce inflammation are necessary for treating fatty liver disease. Not only can they help lead a better lifestyle and help you lose liver fat, additionally, but they will also enhance your general health and may lessen the prevalence of other obesity-related diseases including diabetes. Consult a medical professional about your chances of developing fatty liver disease and, if feasible, how to treat it.
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