Fatty Liver - Do You Have One?
By Hunter Yost M.D.
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects about 70 million adults in the U.S. or 30% of the adult population. About 20 % of these individuals have the more severe form called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH. NAFLD is emerging as a major cause of chronic liver disease and is associated with the increasing prevalence of type II diabetes and obesity. It is the most common reason for the need for a liver transplant.
NAFLD is the most frequent explanation for abnormal liver test results and accounts for elevation of liver enzymes in up to 90 % of cases. Specific patterns of liver enzymes can be markers of insulin resistance, the primary cause of type II or adult diabetes.
Fatty liver is strongly associated with the Metabolic Syndrome. This is a pre-diabetic condition defined by 3 out of 5 of the following: blood pressure greater than 130/85, blood sugar greater than 100 mg/dl, triglycerides greater than 150 mg/dl, waist circumference greater than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women and HDL (good cholesterol) less than 50 for women and 40 for men. People with Metabolic Syndrome have five times greater risked for diabetes, two times greater risk for heart disease, and significantly greater risk for stroke and gout. 64 million Americans are estimated to have Metabolic Syndrome.
The good news is that recently many studies show that the Mediterranean Diet can improve and prevent this fatty liver condition. This is the most researched diet in all of medical literature for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and arthritis. It consists of legumes, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, fish, poultry, lamb, whole grains and minimal dairy. This diet decreases inflammation in all tissues of the body including the liver and improves insulin sensitivity so that adult diabetes can also be reversed. The standard American diet consisting of packaged and processed foods, soda drinks, fast foods, snack foods, refined sugars, and white flour based products is the primary cause of fatty liver, insulin resistance and expanding waistlines.
These dietary and lifestyle changes are a good example of effective low technology, low cost approaches to complex medical problems and are well documented in the medical literature.
Hunter Yost M.D. is in private practice in northwest Tucson. www.hunteryosymd.com
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Tags: Fatty Liver, Metabolic Syndrome, NAFLD