Fatty liver disease can be either alcoholic or non alcoholic. If it is alcoholic, the illness comes from drinking too much alcohol. If It is non alcoholic, it tends to be lifestyle related and the person who suffers from it tends to suffer from other lifestyle related illnesses, like heart disease and diabetes. The best treatment is a lifestyle change, specifically changing the diet and getting exercise. Drugs are not usually used to treat the disease, but a ketogenic diet has been found to be helpful, along with increasing fiber intake and decreasing sugar and fat.
Key Takeaways:
- Fatty liver disease is exactly what the name suggests – a disease characterized by the build up of fat in the liver.
- In a review of studies on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease treatments, the researchers found that weight loss leads to a substantial improvement in the disease.
- Fatty liver disease is so intimately associated with type 2 diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease that it is believed to be caused by the same factors.
“The exact mechanisms that cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are not fully understood, but we do know for certain that lifestyle, genetics, and gut health issues play an important role.”