Do you have a Fatty Liver?
One out of three people have Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Many don’t even know that they have it. Before 1970 fatty liver came from overconsumption of alcohol, not anymore. Even children have it now. Fatty liver has 3 stages: NAFLD – you might not even have symptoms, Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis – low grade inflammation and you still might not have symptoms, thirdly Cirrhosis – which results in liver failure, requiring a transplant to survive. The first two stages are reversable, the third is not. Prevention is KEY – I repeat that one of three people have a fatty liver, including children.
What is fatty liver? Have you heard of foie gras? It is a delicious, expensive, delicacy of the fatty liver of a goose. This food goes back to Roman and Egyptian times. Basically, they force feed the goose with figs to achieve a fatty liver. We are doing this to our own bodies.
NAFLD has grown astronomically since 1970. What changed? High fructose corn syrup was introduced into our industrial food supply. We went from consuming very little fructose, in the natural form of fruit, to consuming 60 pounds per person per year! The liver will process a small amount of fructose, but then the liver will turn the excess fructose into alcohol. A byproduct of this action is uric acid, which causes gout. Both ethanol (from alcohol) and fructose are hepatotoxins. They both cause fatty liver and inflammation, and both are addictive. As a culture, we are addicted to fructose…similar to an alcoholic…always wanting more.
There are no pharmacological therapies to prevent or treat this condition. However, doctors are beginning to use imaging to diagnose NAFLD. Prevention is KEY. We must reduce the amount of fructose (and alcohol) that our liver needs to process. One culprit is soda pop – most are 58% fructose, some 65%. Start reading labels and avoid the fructose hidden in everything. Be aware that some drugs can cause inflammation in the liver as well.
The good news is that the liver will heal itself, given the right conditions, and catching it early enough. There are natural supplements to protect, detoxify, and support liver function. Some to mention are berberine, milk thistle, glutathione, and carnitine. I carry a professional supplement called Hepatiben, Fatty Liver Cleanse. This formula has had fantastic results with my clients (and myself as well!) Don’t wait for this silent disease to creep up on you, prevent it now.