What is Fatty Liver (Steatosis)?

About one of every five Americans has a fatty liver, which is also called steatosis. In fact, up to 9 of every 10 diabetics and people with obesity have fatty liver.

Typical Medications Used to Treat Fatty Liver Disease

When a patient has fatty liver disease, the doctor must evaluate the patient fully to determine how the fatty liver disease began. Is it because the patient was overweight or obese? Is the fatty liver due to diabetes and metabolic syndrome? Is the cause related to high cholesterol and triglyceride levels?

Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

There are several strategies that are used to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and facilitate the reversal of the condition. Below are 7 of them with an explanation of why they work:

Treatment of Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (ALD)

There are several ways of treating alcoholic fatty liver disease, but the most important method is to stop drinking alcohol. This really does mean the total elimination of alcohol - all beer, wine, hard drinks, tonics and everything else that contains alcohol.

Alcohol damages the liver in several ways:

The Functions of the Liver

Your liver is the second largest organ in the body (your skin is #1) and is located in your abdomen. To find your liver, you need to be familiar with the quadrant system of identifying the organs. In this system, you first draw an imaginary horizontal line underneath your ribs and another at the level of your groin.

Taking Antioxidants Can Help Promote Liver Health

The antioxidant vitamins include vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. All these vitamins must be in adequate amounts in the diet in order to prevent deficiencies and all of them work together to protect and replenish each other. The antioxidants are important in prevention of many diseases, including fatty liver disease.

Symptoms of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

When someone has Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, there aren't any classic signs and symptoms simply because the disorder is a silent one. However, as the disease progresses, you may start to see many symptoms that affect the skin, brain and of course, the liver itself.

Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver disease generally does not have any symptoms at all in the beginning stages, but as it progresses, there are many symptoms that may develop. On the other hand, there are cases where these symptoms may occur suddenly or slowly over time, depending on the cause of the disorder.

Symptoms of Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis of the liver is the diagnosis given when the liver becomes scarred and the functional tissue of the liver is decreased. This means there are fewer cells taking care of all the functions of the liver. Thus, the rate of nutrient processing, hormone creation, drug detoxification and toxin removal slows down remarkably. About 30,000 people die from cirrhosis each year in the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Symptoms of Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD)

Symptoms of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) depend on whether or not alcoholic hepatitis will develop. In the early stages of alcoholic liver disease, there are no specific symptoms of anything wrong. However, if you look closely, you will find symptoms and signs that the body is not right.

Risk Factors of Developing Fatty Liver

If you have any family member that has developed a fatty liver, then it's good to know what are the risk factors of developing the condition. Below are seven risk factors to consider:

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver

All non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not alike. If it's in the beginning stages, it's called non-alcoholic liver disease. At this stage, there are very few symptoms. Someone might have fatigue more than usual, weakness and weight loss but that's about it. Many patients don't have any symptoms at all. Yet if the condition progresses, it can be a silent killer.

Maintaining a Healthy Diet and Weight as A Natural Fatty Liver Prevention

The answer to disease always goes back to the same thing: eat a healthy diet if you want to stay healthy. And this is the case if you want to prevent a fatty liver.

Foods To Eat When Diagnosed with Fatty Liver

Diet is your first line of offense against a diagnosis of fatty liver. Your diet can totally transform your health and your life.

Fatty Liver Grade 3

Fatty Liver has three different grades: Grade 1, 2 and 3. Each of the different grades is associated with certain types of symptoms, and as they progress, they can result in death.

Fatty Liver Grade 2

In Fatty Liver Grade 2, more and more fat is being deposited as triglycerides. The fat forms vacuoles in the cells and displaces more of the cell contents, making them dysfunctional. Symptoms start appearing more rapidly in Grade 2 than in Grade 1 and the condition is definitely more serious. Those with this condition need medical care.

Fatty Liver Grade 1

There are three different levels of fatty liver: Grade 1, 2 and 3. Grade 1 is the beginning stages of a fatty liver and generally has the fewest symptoms as well as the best prognosis. As fatty liver progresses to Grade 2, Hepatitis and Grade 3, Cirrhosis, the condition gets much more serious and may require hospitalization.

Fatty Liver Detox

You may have heard the term, "fatty liver detox" but do not know what it means. A fatty liver detox is the use of a diet that will specifically detoxify the liver. It's a diet that will start the reversal of the cells affected by fatty liver disease to normal. This is not making any type of medical claim; the liver is one of the only organs in the body that we know of that can and does regenerate itself when you give it what it needs.

Eating Habits That Contribute to a Fatty Liver

According to studies, your diet is closely tied in with the creation of fatty liver. That's what researchers worldwide are reporting in their research. Thus, by reversing your eating habits that are out of alignment with healthy eating, you can then prevent and reverse fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease is reversible if you attack it with good nutrition in its early stages.

Drugs That Cause Fatty Liver

Often the use of drugs is unavoidable, but one of the problems with them is that they may cause harmful side effects such as fatty liver. Any medication that causes a person to gain weight is potentially contributing to fatty liver. Thus, the listing of many drugs associated with fatty liver disease includes the following: