Patient's question:
Causes and Treatment and Prevention of Fatty Liver? Please explain in detail, okay?Doctor's answer:
The causes of fatty liver are numerous, with common ones including: dietary nutritional factors, such as excessive intake of high-fat, high-cholesterol, and high-calorie diets, or long-term starvation or digestive and absorption disorders, with insufficient protein and certain vitamins in the diet; toxic fatty liver: many chemical substances, such as steroid hormones, growth hormones, salicylic acid preparations, adenosine triphosphate, certain sedatives, epinephrine and norepinephrine, carbon tetrachloride, phosphorus, chloroform, benzene, alcohol, and others, can cause liver damage; infections: such as tuberculosis, streptococcal infection, pneumonia, typhoid fever, chronic cholecystitis, tracheitis, chronic bronchitis, chronic pancreatitis, etc.; endocrine and metabolic diseases: such as diabetes, endocrine dysregulatory obesity, hyperthyroidism, cortisol excess syndrome, and hypophyseal posterior lobe hyperfunction, etc.; as well as iatrogenic fatty liver caused during hepatitis treatment, pregnancy-induced gestational fatty liver, congenital mental retardation syndrome, galactosemia, familial hyperlipidemia, non-P—lipoproteinemia, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis, etc., can all cause fatty liver.Home treatment measures●Eliminate the causeFinding and eliminating the cause is the fundamental method for treating fatty liver. For example, alcoholic fatty liver primarily involves abstinence; diabetic fatty liver requires active diabetes treatment; obese fatty liver requires effective weight control; and nutritional imbalance fatty liver requires adjusting nutrient supply. It is also necessary to avoid various liver-toxic drugs. Most mild fatty liver cases can improve after the causative factors are removed.●Adjust dietAdjusting diet is an important aspect of treating fatty liver, especially for nutritional imbalance fatty liver. It should neither be overly rich in nutrition nor deficient. The diet should be high in protein, low in fat and carbohydrates. Excessive intake of carbohydrates increases insulin secretion, promoting the conversion of glucose to fat. Vegetable oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids should be chosen. Diets low in protein but high in carbohydrates and fat, especially those containing many saturated fats (from fried foods) and hydrogenated fats, cannot provide the body with enough protein to repair tissues and will additionally burden the liver. Such foods include white flour products, white sugar products, and some imitation foods (which resemble the appearance and taste of the original products) but contain fewer vitamins, minerals, and enzymes than the original products. Coffee, high-fat and high-cholesterol meats, salt, soda, sugar, tea, spicy or fried foods, and processed foods should all be avoided. Junk food and food containing additives, preservatives, and chemical ingredients should also be avoided.●Moderate dietObese and overweight patients with fatty liver should start with moderate dieting, reducing the intake of high-calorie foods like ice cream and candy, and increasing the consumption of legumes. To avoid hyperuricemia, 100–300 milligrams of allopurinol can be taken daily, and fluid intake should be encouraged. Red meat and animal fat-containing foods should be eaten less, especially avoiding animal organs, as their high cholesterol content is a major enemy of fatty liver.●Weight lossHalf of obese people may have mild fatty liver, and the incidence of fatty liver in severely obese patients can reach 61%–80% or higher. The accumulation of fat in the liver is proportional to body weight. After weight control in obese patients, the severity of fatty liver decreases. Conversely, if weight increases, fatty liver also worsens. Reducing nutrient intake and controlling weight can improve fatty liver. Exercise is necessary, and walking for 2 hours a day can achieve fat reduction goals.●Abstain from alcoholAlcohol causes more liver damage than any other food. When excessive alcohol enters the liver, the liver loses its function. Alcohol can cause acute damage to liver cells, leading to an increase in transaminase levels, resulting in fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis.●Eat more buckwheat noodlesAnimal experiments on the effects of buckwheat noodles on blood lipid and fatty liver have shown that buckwheat noodles have a lipid-lowering effect on high-fat diet models in rats. At the same time, the buckwheat noodle group can significantly restore fatty liver caused by high-fat diets in rats within a short period. The active ingredients in buckwheat noodles that lower blood lipids may be rutin, fiber, inorganic salts, and minerals.●Prevent iatrogenic fatty liverIf hepatitis patients rest too much, combined with a high-calorie diet, weight gain, or prolonged intravenous infusion of hypertonic sugar, fatty liver can be caused. Therefore, prevention and avoidance are necessary during treatment and care. For details, see the section on hepatitis and cirrhosis.●Prevent constipationAvoid foods that easily cause constipation, as constipation doubles the workload of the liver and also increases the accumulation of fat and cholesterol in the blood and liver. Ensure that the diet contains sufficient fiber (see the section on constipation for details).●Use fruit and vegetable juice to purify bloodDo a three-day fast once a month (only drinking juice) for the benefit of liver detoxification (see fasting in the next volume, Chapter 8). During fasting, beets juice, carrot juice, black radish juice, and dandelion extract can be consumed. Chlorophyll and lemon water are excellent liver and blood purifiers. Regularly cleansing the body, especially the liver, is important for maintaining health.●Eat more foods rich in potassiumKelp, nori, brewer's yeast, bran, wheat bran, almonds, raisins, plums, bananas, and seeds (sunflower seeds) are all rich in potassium.●Avoid the accumulation of toxins in the bodyAlcohol, pesticides, preservatives, and other toxins can damage the liver. Even if these toxins do not accumulate in the liver, liver function can be affected due to the damage to the membrane and renal function caused by toxins.●Natural herbs such as goji berries, pueraria lobata, and iris have liver-protecting and fat-reducing effects and can be eaten more frequently. Vegetables with fat-reducing effects include garlic, celery, nori, mushrooms, kelp, and onions, which should be increased in daily consumption.●Nutritional supplements with fat-reducing and liver-protecting effects①CholineTake 3 times a day, 1 gram each time, after meals. It is an important nutrient in the body, mainly existing in the form of phospholipids. Choline can promote the transformation of fat in the liver into phospholipids and transport it out of the liver, preventing fat from accumulating in liver cells. However, due to the metabolites of choline increasing blood ammonia levels, it should be avoided in patients with hepatic coma.②MethionineTake 3 times a day, 1 gram each time, after meals. Methionine (methionine) is one of the essential amino acids for the human body. Due to the presence of a highly active methyl group at the top of its molecule, it is also an indispensable substance for the synthesis of choline. Its effect is indirectly fat-reducing through choline. It should be avoided in patients with hepatic coma.③InositolTake 3 times a day, 0.5–1.0 grams each time. It belongs to the B vitamins and can promote the transformation of fat in the liver into phospholipids and transport it out of the liver. It can also prevent and eliminate fatty liver caused by biotin, high-cholesterol foods, and carbon tetrachloride, etc.④Compound choline (contains methionine, choline, B12 liver powder)Take according to product instructions. It has fat-reducing effects.⑤Coenzyme Q10Take 60 milligrams daily. It supplies oxygen to the liver and is an effective liver-protecting substance.⑥Lecithin1 tablespoon, taken before meals, or in capsules. Prevents fat accumulation in the liver, causing hepatomegaly.⑦Cysteine, methionine, and glutathioneTake 500 milligrams of each daily, with 100 milligrams of glutathione daily. Taken before meals. Assists the liver's detoxification function and protects liver cells.⑧Comprehensive digestive enzymesTake according to product instructions. Helps digestion and reduces the burden on the liver.●Health-preserving dishes①Fish brain powderTake an appropriate amount of fish brain (or fish eggs), roast them yellow, and grind them into a fine powder. Mix with warm water and take 3–5 grams each time. Suitable for fatty liver.②Bone and kelp soupTake an appropriate amount of kelp and animal spines, with a little salt, vinegar, MSG, and pepper. Wash the kelp, steam it first, then stew the animal spines in water, skim off the foam, add the kelp, and stew until tender. Add salt, vinegar, MSG, and pepper to season. Eat the kelp and drink the soup. Suitable for fatty liver.③Corn silk and winter melon bean soupTake 60 grams of corn silk, 15 grams of winter melon seeds, 100 grams of red beans, and an appropriate amount of sugar. Boil the corn silk and winter melon seeds to extract the juice, then add the red beans to make a soup, and add sugar to season. Eat the beans and drink the soup. Take twice a day. It has the effects of promoting bile flow, removing dampness, and reducing swelling. Suitable for fatty liver caused by water and dampness stagnation.●NoteDo not exceed 10,000 IU of vitamin A and avoid cod liver oil.●Danger signalsLoss of appetite, fatigue, nausea, vomiting. Weight loss, severe pain or tenderness in the liver area or upper right abdomen, fever, and leukocytosis. Sudden angina pectoris with nausea, vomiting, and sweating. Dizziness, headache, especially if the headache is throbbing or a dull ache in the back of the head. Tinnitus, numbness in one limb, face, or around the mouth. Difficulty breathing, coughing, hemoptysis, radiating chest pain, and fainting. When fat accumulates excessively in the liver, it can lead to serious conditions such as cirrhosis, cerebral thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism, and severe cases may even result in sudden death. Therefore, if any of the above symptoms appear, seek medical attention immediately.