How to Help Treat Fatty Liver Disease Naturally
Fatty liver disease is so common occurrence that one in five adults suffers from it. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize they have this problem, which can be very dangerous for them. Today, we’re going to talk about the causes of fatty liver disease and how you can treat it naturally.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver is a condition caused by the build-up of fat deposits in the liver, a result of the liver‘s inability to effectively process and break down fats. The fat built-up can end up enlarging the liver, replacing some of the cells with scar tissue.
When this happens, the liver can’t function properly, which could cause liver failure or lead to liver cancer. This is why it’s critical for those anyone with this condition to identify it and take action based on the most appropriate treatment for them.
Of course, the most important factor is early detection. If you catch it early and follow your doctor’s suggestions, make dietary and lifestyle changes, and take certain supplements, it’s much easier to slow down the disease and, generally, make it go away completely.
According to some studies, people with diabetes, high cholesterol, or obesity are more like to have fatty liver disease. The statistics also show that it’s more common in men than women.
People who are insulin resistant can also end up with this disease. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have diabetes, just that their cells don’t respond to the hormone that controls blood sugar. What that does is cause the pancreas to produce more insulin so that the body can respond.
What are the symptoms of fatty liver disease?
Excess fat build-up in the liver complicates and limits this organ’s ability to eliminate toxins and remove cholesterol from the blood. Basically, it can’t function normally, which has a significant impact on your overall health.
When the disease first manifests itself, it might not come with significant symptoms, but over time the following could appear:
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Nausea
- Difficulty concentrating
- Pain in the upper right section of the abdomen
- Discoloration in different areas of the body (such as the neck or the armpits)
- Anxiety in the afternoons
- Fibromyalgia
- Uric acid
- High cholesterol and triglycerides
- Abdominal fat
- Hair loss and acne
- Snoring, and in some patients warts appear on the neck and in the armpits.
If you don’t treat this disease in time and the fat keeps building up, it will lead to inflammation, scarring, and cirrhosis. Those will eventually cause:
- Fluid retention
- Loss of muscle mass
- Internal bleeding
- Yellowing of the skin and the eyes (jaundice).
What foods should you avoid when treating fatty liver disease?
Some studies have shown that it’s important to avoid foods containing sugar, especially ones with a high fructose content, like corn syrup. But you should also stay away from refined carbohydrates or baked goods made with white flour.
People with fatty liver disease generally have many nutritional deficiencies even though they eat a lot and have a high calorie intake.
What foods should you eat if you’re trying to treat fatty liver disease naturally?
It’s essential for people with fatty liver disease get extra antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, often found in vegetables. This will help to slow down the damage to the liver cells. It’s also good to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. They’re rich in antioxidants and phyto-nutrients, which help to combat things like inflammation.
Milk thistle extract
Milk thistle extract is a supplement that has been effective in treating fatty liver disease. This is thanks to an ingredient called silymarine, which has great liver healing properties and can shield it from free radicals. It also leads to a concentration of the most powerful antioxidants in the body: glutathione and superoxide dismutase.
Those will also stimulate protein synthesis, which helps to regenerate liver cells and form new tissue. It’ very important to consume milk thistle with at least 80% silymarine and take 165 milligrams twice a day. It’s a great thing to include if you want to treat fatty liver disease naturally.
Vitamin E
This is a natural, important nutrient found to be effective for fatty liver disease. According to a clinical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people with fatty liver disease who took a vitamin E supplement showed great improvement in the symptoms, like inflammation, enlarged liver, and fat build-up.
It resolved the health problems of a lot of the people in the study.
D-limonene
D-limonene is a compound of essential oils extracted from the peel of citrus fruits. It has proven to be effective in combating fat build-up and preventing insulin resistance. Those fat prevention properties make it a great ally if you’re trying to treat fatty liver disease naturally.
Lifestyle changes can also help you treat fatty liver disease naturally
Exercise helps improve insulin resistance. So, it’s important to do aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes (five times a week). In the case of someone with extreme obesity, bariatric surgery is another potential option. It can drastically improve diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and high blood pressure.
Remember, it is vital not to go into uncontrolled weight loss .
How can you prevent this disease?
- Avoid alcohol consumption.
- Avoid painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Lose weight gradually.
- Get vaccinations for hepatitis A and B.
- Increase your antioxidant intake.
If you have one or more of the symptoms of fatty liver disease, speak immediately with your doctor. They’re the best equipped to diagnose it and help you with early detection.
Don’t wait until your liver has been heavily damaged and treatment is useless. Remember that any change you notice in your body or its behavior is a sign that something isn’t working right. You should pay proper attention to these signs so that you can quickly identify what’s failing and get appropriate treatment.
As a preventative measure, even if you have no symptoms of fatty liver disease, you should reduce your sugar consumption and increase your fruit and vegetable intake. You can also add a supplement like milk thistle or vitamin E or D. These can give you energy, protect you from fatty liver disease, or help treat it naturally if you have it.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Meléndez, G. (2012). Hígado graso. Nutrición Hoy.
- Castro, L., & Silva, G. (2015). Hígado Graso No Alcohólico. Revista Médica Clínica Las Condes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmclc.2015.09.006
- Bernal-Reyes, R. (2012). Hígado graso, esteatohepatitis alcohólica y esteatohepatitis no alcohólica. Revista de Gastroenterología de México. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rgmx.2012.07.032
