Fatty liver disease causes the liver to become enlarged in an unhealthy manner. Fatty liver
causes the liver to hold more fat deposits than it should which makes it unable to process
the fat in our body. If you want to learn about the fatty liver’s causes and how to prevent
fatty liver disease, you’ll find everything you need to know here!
WHAT IS FATTY LIVER DISEASE?
Our liver is one of the most important organs for the body’s digestive and metabolic
process. It is the organ responsible for processing food and storing nutrients. It secretes bile
juice, which is vital for processing fats and emulsification of fats. When, for some reason,
the liver can not break down the fat, it gets deposited in the liver causing it to become
enlarged. This condition is called fatty liver disease.
There are 4 types of fatty liver disease depending on what causes fatty liver disease:
1. Non alcoholic fatty liver disease: when a person who doesn’t consume large amounts
of alcohol has an enlarged fatty liver.
2. Non alcoholic steatohepatitis: when a person who doesn’t consume alcohol has an
inflamed liver due to excess fat deposits.
3. Acute fatty liver of pregnancy: Sometimes pregnancy can cause complications which
can result in an enlarged liver.
4. Alcoholic fatty liver disease: When a person consumes a lot of alcohol and as result
their liver becomes damaged and fails to process fat as it should.
There are many factors that can put you at risk of developing fatty liver disease like:
1. Being overweight
2. Being resistant to insulin
3. Being diabetic
4. Having a history of PCOS or suffering from PCOS
5. Being pregnant
6. Any history of liver diseases or infections
7. Having high levels of cholesterol in the body
8. If you have metabolic syndrome
9. If you are suffering from sleep apnea
10. Elderly people (geriatrics)
WHAT CAUSES FATTY LIVER?
Fatty liver causes abdominal pain and a lot of discomfort and fatigue. It happens because
the body is unable to process fat effectively and it drains our energy. There can be many
reasons for the enlargement of your liver, including temporary conditions like pregnancy.
Here are some known causes of fatty liver non alcoholic and alcoholic disease:
1. Being overweight or obese can cause liver enlargment as the body has too much fat
to effectively process all of it and it starts to damage the liver and causes fatty liver
disease.
2. Being diabetic or having high blood sugar can cause problems in liver function which
makes the liver ineffective in processing fat properly and cause fatty liver disease.
3. Certain chemicals and toxins that can cause damage to the liver also cause fatty liver
disease as they obstruct the liver’s ability to break down fats or produce bile juice
effectively.
4. Pregnancy can cause fatty liver disease as some complications in pregnancy can
result in liver damage and make it ineffective in processing fat in the body.
5. A high consumption of alcohol results in liver damage or even liver failure and makes
it incapable of efficiently emulsifying fat deposits in the body and makes the liver
enlarged and fatty.
6. Certain high fat foods or saturated fats in your diet can cause fatty liver disease as
they are very hard to break down and process efficiently.
7. Having a history of liver diseases or infections, or having liver conditions like
hepatitis can also cause the liver to become enlarged and fatty and make the liver
unable to process fat.
IS FATTY LIVER DISEASE PREVENTABLE?
Fatty liver disease is largely impacted by our diet and overall health, if we eat healthy and
keep our lifestyle healthy it can be prevented quite easily. The causes of fatty liver are
mainly because of unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits, small changes and a strong will can
save you from a damaged liver. Here is what you can do to prevent fatty liver disease:
1. Reduce your alcohol consumption to a minimum or avoid it completely
2. Work on losing your weight and reducing your body’s fat deposits.
3. Eat healthy and follow a proper meal plan to include food that keeps your liver
healthy and has a balanced amount of nutrients.
4. Be physically active, work out and exercise your body to complement your diet and
burn fat quickly.
5. Cut back on the consumption of processed food and food that has saturated fats.
Saturated fats are unhealthy and really hard for our body to process efficiently,
avoiding them is the best way to prevent fatty liver disease.
6. Eat fibre rich food with a smaller content of fat and carbohydrates to keep yourself
healthy and reduce weight.
CONCLUSION
Fatty liver causes the liver to become enlarged unhealthily and makes it ineffective in
breaking down the fat content in our body. This is largely caused by unhealthy lifestyle and
dietary habits like overconsumption of alcohol or saturated fats. It can be easily prevented
by making small changes to keep your body healthy and reduce fat deposits in the body.
