What is a Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver?
Non alcoholic fatty liver is one such disease in this list, which requires a lot of precaution. We have often heard drinking is harmful to health, but have you ever thought about the cons of drinking? Non alcoholic fatty liver disease, commonly known as NAFLD. It is a disease when fat accumulates in the liver of people who consume little or no alcohol. This abducts the functioning of the liver and can cause injury. People who drink alcohol may also get affected with liver injuries, but their situation is different. NAFLD starts from the initial condition of steatosis, where simple fat starts to assemble in the liver cells. It may lead to a severe form of NASH known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. In such cases, the liver may get inflamed and can cause scarring (fibrosis or cirrhosis of liver).
What is the Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatment?
There are specific lifestyle changes that you need to make, like following a healthy lifestyle to treat non alcoholic fatty liver. Multivitamin tablets could also have a positive effect for those people who have this condition. Medication and surgical operations are also available for the treatment of non alcoholic fatty liver, but without lifestyle modifications, they are not worth it.
Here are some non alcoholic fatty liver disease treatment available:
- Have a balanced diet and focus more on physical exercise to reduce weight.
- Reduce sugar intake and eat small portions of food throughout the day.
- Multivitamin tablets provide relief from non alcoholic fatty liver symptoms, especially Vitamin E, D, B9, B12, A, and C .
- Maintain your cholesterol and blood pressure through medications and avoiding oily food.
- Insulin sensitizers, statins, and vitamin E act as medication for non alcoholic fatty liver.
- Get regular check-ups and get the liver biopsy done if required.
- Surgical treatments like bariatric surgery for people suffering from severe obesity associated with NAFLD are available.
- Alternate herbal therapies are available, but consulting a doctor beforehand is needed.
What Are Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Causes
The exact cause of non alcoholic fatty liver disease is not discovered yet. However, it is found that people who consume too little or no alcohol can develop fat in their liver. It is predicted factors like metabolic syndrome are primarily involved in causing NAFLD. The components of the syndrome responsible for non alcoholic fatty liver causes are obesity, hypertension, hyerlipidemia and diabetes.
Factors associated with non alcoholic fatty liver causes may include:
- Metabolic syndrome components like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.
- Insulin resistance: Insulin stores fat in the body, causing liver damage.
- Imbalance of gut microbiota can cause non alcoholic fatty liver.
- Genetic factors like issues related to the liver and ethnicity can cause NAFLD.
- Poor diet with high sugar and fat lacking fiber can also be the cause of this disorder.
- Some drugs like corticosteroids, tamoxifen, and other anti-viral drugs have the risk of causing fatty liver.
- Lack of physical exercise can cause weight gain and insulin resistance, risk factors for NAFLD.
- Certain medical conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), hypothyroidism, hypopituitarism, and sleep apnea are associated with NAFLD.
Doctors have predicted the above non alcoholic fatty liver causes. However, other factors like environment and lifestyle also play a crucial role. Exposure to pollutants and smoking can also contribute to liver damage. For women, hormonal changes can increase the risk of NAFLD.
What Are Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Symptoms
Detecting non alcoholic fatty liver symptoms at their early stages is difficult as it is unnoticeable. NAFLD comes with additional diseases like obesity, diabetes, or high cholesterol. It is essential to get medical advice in such situations. Some common symptoms are unusual fatigue and pain in the upper right abdomen.
However, if you face any of the following symptoms, consult a doctor as soon as possible:
- Some less common symptoms of NAFLD are weight loss, weakness, nausea, or jaundice.
- Some severe symptoms of NAFLD are an enlarged spleen, red palms, and enlarged blood vessels.
- Some other additional symptoms are drowsiness, slurred speech, and severe fatigue.
- Ascites are a common symptom ignored by people where the abdominal gets swelled up.
If you are detected with non alcoholic fatty liver disease, do not panic; instead, get yourself diagnosed to know the extent of liver damage. This diagnosis helps in the proper non alcoholic fatty liver disease treatment based on your severity.
Conclusion
Non alcoholic fatty liver is a severe disease due to excessive fat in the liver. The exact cause of the disease has not been discovered; however, certain risk factors are involved. A healthy lifestyle and early treatment can remove this issue from the root. Lifestyle changes and medical management are required while properly monitoring the disease. Maintain your weight with proper nutritional intake to prevent the progression of non alcoholic fatty liver symptoms.
