INTRODUCTION

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 processes. 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 that can result in an enlarged liver.
4. Alcoholic fatty liver disease: When a person consumes a lot of alcohol, as a 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 nonalcoholic and alcoholic disease:

1. Being overweight or obese can cause liver enlargement 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 causes 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 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 bodies to process efficiently; avoiding them is the best way to prevent fatty liver disease.
6. Eat fiber-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.