“Understanding Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver: Prevention, Treatment, and Unexpected Eating Habits”

Even if you don’t drink alcohol, your liver can get bad. Fatty liver is one of them. It can be divided into alcoholic fatty liver caused by excessive drinking and non-alcoholic fatty liver caused by excessive calorie intake such as overeating. Non-alcoholic fatty liver is often associated with obesity and diabetes. Among overweight people, there are not a few cases where the liver is not good.

◆ Common fatty liver?… Possibility of developing liver cirrhosis and liver cancer

If there is simply a lot of fat accumulated in the liver, the possibility of progressing to cirrhosis is very low. However, when the liver accumulates fat and secretes harmful substances (cytokines), 2 to 4 out of 10 people can progress to serious diseases such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer (Health Information by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Steatohepatitis with inflammation or fibrosis as well as fat in histological examination may develop into liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

◆ When dieting in a hurry, liver inflammation… What is an effective weight loss goal?

Extremely low calorie intake by drastically reducing food to lose weight quickly can lead to poor liver health. If you lose weight rapidly in a hurry, it can rather increase inflammation in the liver, so you should avoid it (Health information from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Recently, it has been reported that losing only 5% of body weight improves liver levels and improves insulin resistance. For initial weight loss, it is good to aim for a loss of approximately 10% of body weight in 6 months.

◆ Prevention of non-alcoholic fatty liver… It is important to lose weight

Non-alcoholic fatty liver is associated with obesity and diabetes because it is caused by excessive calorie intake. Therefore, it is important to prevent obesity in order to prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Fatty liver is usually asymptomatic. Most cases of hepatitis, cirrhosis, or even early liver cancer do not show symptoms. In many cases, elevated liver levels are found in blood tests such as health checkups and are diagnosed after undergoing additional tests. For the prevention and treatment of fatty liver, weight loss through diet control and exercise is more effective than medication.

◆ What is the unexpected eating habit that caused liver damage and weight gain?

1) Even if you reduce the amount of food… If you enjoy sweets that are high in sugar and saturated fat

Even if you eat less food during a meal, if you do not reduce processed foods such as factory-made sweets, it is not good for preventing and controlling fatty liver-obesity. Get into the habit of looking at the ingredient list on processed food packaging. Many products are high in sugar and saturated fat. Increased intake of simple carbohydrates such as sugar and sugar can lead to rapid rise in blood sugar and accumulation of fat in the liver.

2) Even if you reduce pork belly and fried chicken… How to eat noodles?

Even if you reduce pork belly and fried chicken, if you like carbohydrates such as rice, bread, and noodles, the risk of fatty liver-obesity increases. In particular, when eating noodles such as udon, noodles, and jjambbong, it is not a good eating habit to leave side dishes and eat only noodles. Vegetables, seaweed, and legumes contain a lot of dietary fiber, which directly removes cholesterol and neutral fat from the body. Get into the habit of eating plenty of vegetable side dishes when eating noodles.

3) If you don’t exercise even though you control your diet… Combination of aerobic and strength training

Exercise improves non-alcoholic fatty liver regardless of abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. Losing 3-5% of body weight improves fatty liver, and losing 7-10% improves liver fibrosis and most steatohepatitis-related tissues. Aerobic exercise, such as walking fast, and strength exercise, such as dumbbells, are both helpful, and especially if you have abdominal obesity or sarcopenia, you can expect a greater effect.