The liver is one of the most vital organs in the human body, responsible for detoxifying proteins and produces biochemicals necessary for digestion. In simple terms, the liver processes our food and drinks and filters any harmful substances from the blood.
Fatty liver occurs when the fat starts to build up inside the liver on a consistent basis, the liver gets damaged and fails to function and shuts down gradually (This condition is called the cirrhosis). Fatty liver cannot be cured however, it can be resolved with certain lifestyle modification and treatments can also help.
Did you know?
- The liver has a certain amount of fat on its own which is normal. The problem starts when there is an excess amount of fat than the usual
- The liver is the second largest organ in the human body. The first prize goes to the skin
- The liver is also the largest gland
- The liver has the extraordinary capacity to regenerate itself
- The fat in a fatty liver is more than 5 to 10% of the entire livers weight
Why does it happen?
The most common cause of fat in the liver is due to alcoholism. Also occurs in people who are non-alcoholic. Fat in the liver develops when the body cannot metabolize the fat fast enough and the fat gets stored in liver cells. Eating high-fat food and high sugar diet might not cause fat in liver but it might also contribute to it.
The following are the common causes of fatty liver
Genetic inheritance
Diabetes
Obesity
Hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the blood)
Rapid weight loss
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of the liver are being broken down into two parts:
Inflamed liver symptoms
Liver failure symptoms
Inflamed liver symptoms
A poor appetite:
When the liver fails to detoxify proteins, they get stored up and gives a sensation of a full stomach, which causes a poor appetite.
Weight loss:
Due to the loss of appetite, the body switches to emergency mode and starts to take up the energy from the fat and this usage of the remaining fat results in weight loss.
Abdominal pain
Fatigue and physical weakness:
Due to fat being burned as the last resort from the body, it becomes exhausted and there is nothing left to use as energy.
Liver failure symptoms
Fluid-filled abdomen:
When proteins do not detoxify properly, the remaining edible particles will remain in the stomach for days resulting in a fluid-filled stomach.
Easy bleeding or bruising:
When the body becomes weak due to less food intake the skin also becomes weak as it fails to regenerate new cells and thus resulting in easy bleeding or bruising.
Other liver failure syndrome includes:
Fatigue
Jaundice
Body swelling
Mental confusion
Fear not! Let’s look at the treatments
There is no specific medicine or treatment for fatty liver. The treatment is in our own hands. Some of the major methods to reduce further liver damage.
Exercise and healthy balanced diet
Stop drinking alcohol
Controlling blood sugar
Managing cholesterol
Fatty liver always will not develop into a liver disease. The liver can repair itself, so the right lifestyle (eating and workout) is the key.