Fatty liver: Not just an alcoholic’s disease

Regular exercise helps keep the liver healthy by ensuring the amount of fat in it stays within the normal range. — dpa

Drinking alcohol in moderation – if at all – isn’t the only thing that’s important in keeping your liver healthy.

The organ, which plays a central role in all metabolic processes in your body, also suffers if your diet is unhealthy or you get too little exercise, health experts say.

Many people are negligent in this regard, however, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a “steadily growing health problem” in both adults and children, the German Liver Foundation reports.

A fatty liver is a condition in which too much fat is stored in liver cells.

The main risk factors for NAFLD, – which is distinct from alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) – are well-known and often avoidable.

They include an unhealthy diet, insufficient exercise and being overweight.

Losing excess weight is particularly beneficial.

A 10% reduction of body weight can normalise the amount of fat stored in the liver, according to Dr Hans-Martin Fruehauf, who heads the Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at AMEOS St Marien Hospital in Oberhausen, Germany.

“A patient weighing 100kg can eliminate nearly 100% of their liver fat by losing 10kg,” he says.

NAFLD is thought to affect about a quarter of the global adult population.

Its prevalence is highest in the Middle East and South America, and lowest in Africa.

In Germany, approximately a million people out of 83 million have the condition, according to the BNG, the country’s professional association of gastroenterologists.

It estimates that about one in five of them have already developed fibrosis – a buildup of scar tissue in the liver as it tries to halt inflammation caused by excess fat.

This can progress to cirrhosis – severe, late-stage scarring that renders the liver unable to function properly and increases the risk of liver cancer.

The gastroenterologists point out that NAFLD is frequently part of a metabolic syndrome, as a high percentage of those affected also have high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and/or are obese.

These conditions influence one another: A fatty liver can encourage the development of diabetes, for example.

What’s more, a diseased liver impacts other vital organs, says Dr Fruehauf.

Fatty liver patients have a higher incidence of cardiovascular problems.

“This can result in cardiac insufficiency, poor blood circulation and an elevated risk of a heart attack,” he says.

So it’s important to do all you can to make sure your liver stays healthy, which means getting plenty of exercise and eating right, along with keeping your alcohol consumption in check.

Drinking alcohol regularly, and immoderately, takes a lot out of your liver, warns Germany’s Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA).

Metabolising, or breaking down, alcohol puts a major strain on the organ, it says, and advises following health guidelines on alcohol consumption.

It’s also a good idea to periodically abstain from beer, wine and spirits completely for a few weeks to allow your liver to regenerate. – dpa