Living With Fatty Liver
September 18, 2009
Fat deposition in the liver causes fatty liver. Although, fat build up in the liver, itself might not damage the liver, but, fat accumulation in the liver is a symptom of liver malfunction.
The liver helps to breakdown fat in the body. For some reason if the fat metabolism process is disrupted, fats might deposit in the liver.
Fatty liver causes
Several factors are responsible for developing fatty liver. It is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, alcoholism and high triglyceride level in the blood stream. Malnutrition can also cause fatty liver. Stomach bypass surgery to reduce body weight, tuberculosis and excess vitamin A are known to be responsible for fat deposition in the liver. Fatty liver is sometimes the side effect of certain medications such as corticosteroid and valproic acid based drugs.
Simple fatty liver or hepatic steatosis is a common form of fatty liver disease. It is usually a harmless condition. However, simple fatty liver can be the outcome of obesity, alcoholism and diabetes. Steatohepatitis is a more serious form of fatty liver disease. It is associated with liver inflammation. This increases the risk of cirrhosis of the liver. Alcoholism, obesity, rapid weight loss, diabetes, high cholesterol level and stomach bypass surgery increases the risk of steatohepatitis.
Fatty liver symptoms
There are no noticeable symptoms of fatty liver. Elevated level of liver enzymes revealed through blood tests usually shows the existence of fatty liver.
Fatty liver home remedies
Eating fatty foods is not necessarily linked to fatty liver. Nonetheless, avoiding fatty foods and weight loss are recommended for treating fatty liver. Reducing blood sugar and triglyceride levels in the blood stream can help to reduce the severity of the condition.
To prevent further liver damage, fatty liver patients should stay away from alcohol. Although, saturated fat obtained from animal sources can worsen your condition, but fish oil can be beneficial for healing fatty liver. Choline, a type of B vitamin, prevents fat deposition in the liver.
Seafood, egg, meat and liver are rich sources of choline. Certain herbs, such as milk thistle, licorice and dandelion, which are noted for their fat dissolving properties, can be taken by people suffering from fatty liver problems.
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