When we think about liver disease, what usually comes to mind is cirrhosis due to several years of excessive alcohol consumption. However, liver damage is very common even while abstaining from alcohol.
In fact, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a very real yet little-known epidemic in the United States. It is estimated that approximately 25%–30% of Americans are not aware that they have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
What Is NAFLD?
NAFLD is referred to as the “silent killer” since it usually does not exhibit symptoms, and if it progresses to an advanced stage, it may be too late to save your liver, and a transplant may become necessary. Even young children following an unhealthy diet and who are sedentary are becoming increasingly diagnosed with NAFLD.
With NAFLD, there is fat present in the liver, with little to no inflammation or scarring. If it progresses, the condition becomes nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). With NASH, liver inflammation and scarring are more prevalent and if not treated, it can lead to cirrhosis (extensive scarring). At this advanced stage there is a risk of complications, including liver failure and liver cancer. Although the liver has the unique ability to regenerate, when it reaches the cirrhosis stage, it is usually too late to reverse the scarring, and a transplant is often the only option. Patients with NAFLD and NASH are also at greater risk for cardiovascular disease.
NAFLD is much more common than alcoholic fatty liver disease. Most patients do not experience symptoms, except perhaps fatigue. Poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle are common causes. It’s a fact that many processed foods, including cookies, crackers, cereal, and salad dressing, contain cheap, harmful vegetable seed oils, such as canola, soybean, safflower, cottonseed, and grapeseed. These inflammatory oils are not only detrimental to our arteries and cardiovascular health but are also toxic to our liver. Most fast-food joints, as well as some high-end restaurants, use canola oil for cooking and frying because it is cost-effective.
Nix the Sugar
Contrary to popular belief, healthy saturated fats such as animal fat (tallow and lard), eggs, and butter do not contribute to NAFLD. Excessive sugar consumption is also to blame – whether it’s snacks made with table sugar or fructose consumption by eating too many fruits on a regular basis. Also, high fructose corn syrup, which is present in many snacks, candies, and sodas, contributes to the problem. A diet high in starchy carbohydrates is also to blame. This is due to starches being converted to sugar by the body. When there are too many carbohydrates and sugars, the pancreas must release more insulin, and then these sugars are stored in the mid-section and the liver as fat. This is essentially insulin resistance, which can also manifest as obesity, diabetes, and high triglycerides.
Managing the Health of Your Liver
Most primary care physicians will order a complete blood panel as part of your annual physical exam. Elevated levels of triglycerides and blood liver enzymes (ALT and AST) are indicative of NAFLD. An abdominal ultrasound will be able to further diagnose which stage of liver disease is present (NAFLD, NASH, or cirrhosis).
The good news is that in many cases, NAFLD and even NASH can be reversible. With an annual blood test (and abdominal ultrasound, if necessary), your physician will be able to make a diagnosis. It is recommended to limit or eliminate alcohol consumption while healing your liver. Make sure you’re getting adequate, quality sleep, as well as effectively managing stress.
Losing only 10% of your weight can also make a huge difference in the health of your liver. Intermittent fasting (fasting for at least 16 hours and eating one or two meals within a six- to eight-hour window) can not only aid in weight loss/fat loss but is effective in helping clear out cell waste and repair your body’s cells (including liver cells).
A diet low in sugar and carbohydrates will greatly aid in liver detoxification and help to remove the fat around the liver. Following a ketogenic diet (high protein, moderate fat, under 25 grams of carbs per day) can be very helpful. This can include consuming low-sugar fruits, such as berries. To go one step further, you can implement a carnivore diet, which is essentially an intake of 0–5 grams of carbohydrates daily and zero sugar. This means avoiding all starches and fruits. The carnivore diet will assist with faster fat loss/weight loss while giving your liver a break from sugars. Taking the herb milk thistle and consuming two to three cups daily of organic coffee has been shown to reverse NAFLD in many cases, as well as to protect against cirrhosis of the liver.
It’s Never Too Late to Start
As with most health issues, taking care of your liver health begins with proper diet, movement, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing stress, and getting enough rest. And remember: you don’t have to change every thing all at once. Even small steps forward are still steps in the right direction.
Kristina Mozzicato is a board-certified, licensed massage therapist and owns Abundant Health Massage Therapy & Wellness in Farmington, CT. She has been a 10Best Bodywork Winner in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 in Natural Nutmeg magazine’s Readers’ Poll.