What causes Fatty Liver?
The different types of fatty liver
Fatty liver is a build-up of fat in the liver which often has no symptoms but can cause the liver to stop functioning properly.
There are 2 types of fatty liver - alcohol related (AFLD) and non-alcohol related (NAFLD). Non alcohol-related fatty liver disease can be further broken down into 2 types simple fatty liver, or non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Both children and adults can have fatty liver.
Simple fatty liver occurs when there is no damage to the liver cells and this does not normally develop into a disease, however, diabetes or cardiovascular damage can result if not treated. NASH however sees inflammation and damage to liver cells as well as fat and can turn into more serious conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) also has inflammation and liver cell damage but can be reversed if the person stops drinking alcohol. If they do not cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis may result which is very dangerous and can be life-threatening.
Symptoms of fatty liver
There are often no symptoms of NAFLD but a routine blood test may pick up raised liver enzymes. Early symptoms may include nausea or vomiting, weight loss, fatigue and loss of appetite. Whilst the cause is not completely understood risk factors can include metabolic syndrome, being overweight, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, leaky gut, some medications, hepatitis C and genetics.
Diet and lifestyle changes and certain herbs and supplements can help to alleviate these symptoms.
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References & Further Reading:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases