For anyone affected by this condition, a few simple changes can make a huge difference, says Dr. Anni Tripathi
Health and wellbeing
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition where too much fat is accumulated in the liver cells (steatosis) due to poor lifestyle choices.
The early stage of NAFLD, also known as ‘fatty liver’, is estimated to affect one in three people in the UK, according to The British Liver Trust (britishlivertrust.org.uk). It is closely linked with poor metabolic health and most commonly seen in people who have obesity, type 2 diabetes and increased cardiovascular risk factors.
Fatty liver on its own is not known to cause harm, but can lead to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis (permanent scarring and damage to the liver) if it gets worse.
NAFLD is diagnosed by assessing risk factors and investigations that include blood tests (which may not always reflect abnormality early on) and ultrasound scans. Some people may require examination of a sample of liver tissue (biopsy) to know the exact staging of the disease.
As a GP, I myself have noticed a growing number of incidental findings of fatty liver of ultrasound scans. This is not surprising given the rise in obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart attacks and strokes amongst the UK population. Research shows that lifestyle and dietary changes play a key role in the management of NAFLD. It is important to start making these changes in the early stages while scarring has not started.
Knowing the risk factors
Smoking, being overweight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes and consuming ultra-processed food increase the risk of fatty liver. Sadly, it is a condition that is affecting children too; which was not heard of a few decades ago.
Dietary recommendations
Changing dietary composition with the aim to lose 5-10 per cent of the bodyweight has been proven to be beneficial for fatty liver. Current evidence supports improvement in fatty liver when calorie restriction is combined with a Mediterranean diet (MD), which includes antioxidant rich whole plant-based foods and is limited in red meat, poultry, dairy and eggs. The abundance of polyphenols, increased fibre with reduced saturated fats in the MD helps to reduce intracellular fat.
A recent randomised controlled trial (which you can read more about at bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com) compared the MD to green-MD, where green tea and mankai (a kind of duckweed) shake were included along with physical exercise. After
