Fatty Liver Disease: A Silent Threat to Your Health
The prevalence of fatty liver disease is on the rise, and it’s not just linked to alcohol consumption. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is becoming increasingly common, often without any noticeable symptoms. This silent condition can progress into a serious illness, making regular communication with your liver crucial.
The Culprits: Lifestyle and Eating Habits
Abdominal ultrasound examinations in adults often reveal fatty liver disease caused by changes in eating habits and lifestyle. Think of it as a cold in your liver, analogous to depression being a cold in the mind.
So, what exactly is fatty liver disease? It occurs when more than 5% of the liver is comprised of fat deposits. Usually, it is diagnosed through an abdominal ultrasound during routine screenings. Many cases of fatty liver disease are discovered incidentally during examinations, even in the absence of symptoms. It can also be triggered by excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and certain medications, such as corticosteroids or female hormones. Severe nutritional deficiencies can also contribute to its development.
Classification: Alcoholic vs. Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Alcohol consumption plays a significant role in classifying fatty liver disease. If you consume more than four glasses of alcohol per day, you are categorized as having alcoholic fatty liver disease. Otherwise, it is classified as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, typically caused by obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and other factors. While fatty liver disease is often asymptomatic, some patients may experience fatigue, malaise, and upper right abdominal pain. Diagnosis is confirmed through liver function tests (AST, ALT) and abdominal ultrasound.
Regular Communication with Your Liver: A Preventive Approach
As there are currently no specific medications to treat fatty liver disease, it is crucial to diagnose the underlying cause and address it accordingly. Since the liver is a silent organ, regular preventive tests can help mitigate the risk of developing complications. Furthermore, efforts to combat fatty liver disease can have a positive effect on preventing and treating other diseases. Adopting a balanced diet and engaging in regular exercise are essential habits to adopt.
A Balanced Diet and Exercise: The Key to Treatment
The treatment approach for fatty liver disease varies depending on the cause. Alcohol-induced fatty liver disease can progress to hepatitis and cirrhosis if drinking continues, so complete abstinence from alcohol is recommended. If abstaining completely is challenging due to social circumstances, limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 times per week. For cases associated with obesity, it’s crucial to manage total calorie intake and engage in a balanced diet that includes protein-rich foods, fresh vegetables, and appropriate exercise to eliminate excess body fat.
Instead of fasting or skipping meals entirely, it is advisable to have three full meals while reducing overall calorie intake. Avoid late-night snacks and opt for a well-balanced diet that includes carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. Engaging in aerobic exercises like walking, cycling, or swimming for at least 30 minutes, three times a week, can be highly beneficial. For individuals with underlying conditions such as diabetes or hyperlipidemia, managing these conditions is of utmost importance.
Blood Test: The Fundamental Diagnosis for Fatty Liver Disease
The most basic test for diagnosing fatty liver disease is a blood test. In cases of alcoholic fatty liver disease, elevated AST levels tend to be higher than ALT levels. In contrast, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease often shows higher ALT levels than AST levels. Gamma-GT (GGT) levels increase in both types of fatty liver disease, particularly in alcoholic fatty liver disease, where GGT levels correlate with alcohol consumption, providing a useful tool for monitoring disease progression.
Stay Informed, Stay Healthy
Information sourced from the September 2023 issue of Health News by the Korean Society for Health Management.
Article written by Oh Min-seok, Family Medicine Specialist, Incheon Metropolitan Branch of Korea Health Management Association.
Data provided by the Daegu Metropolitan Branch Health Check Center of the Korea Health Management Association.
(Daegu Metropolitan Branch Health Check Center of Korea Health Management Association) It is easy to think that fatty liver is only due to alcohol consumption, which is often found during health checkups, but non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is also increasing’ gradually. As there are no symptoms, you can carry on as usual, but it can develop into a bigger illness, so you need to communicate regularly with your liver.
When carrying out an abdominal ultrasound examination on adults, you can see that fatty liver disease caused by changes in eating habits and lifestyle is one of the diseases that are often found. To use an analogy, depression is a cold in the mind, and fatty liver is a cold in the liver.
The exact definition of fatty liver is when the proportion of fat deposited in the liver is more than 5%, and it is usually diagnosed through an abdominal ultrasound for screening purposes. In most cases, fatty liver is discovered accidentally through an examination without any symptoms. It can also appear along with excessive drinking, obesity, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Medicines such as corticosteroids or female hormones can also be a cause. Fatty liver can also occur due to severe nutritional deficiencies.
◆ Classification by drinking status
Alcohol can be used as a criterion for classifying fatty liver, and by this, it is classified into alcoholic fatty liver and non-alcoholic fatty liver. If you drink more than 4 glasses of alcohol a day, you are classified as having alcoholic fatty liver disease, and if you don’t, it is classified as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The latter case is usually caused by obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc. As mentioned earlier, fatty liver is usually not accompanied by symptoms, but in some cases, patients may complain of fatigue, malaise, and pain in the upper right abdomen, and is diagnosed through function tests liver (AST, ALT) or abdominal ultrasound.
◆ Periodic communication with the ‘liver’
As there are currently no medications to treat fatty liver disease, it is important to diagnose and identify the underlying condition causing fatty liver disease. The liver, a silent organ, can be prevented from developing into disease through preventive tests, so regular communication with the liver is essential. In addition, efforts to cure fatty liver disease can also help prevent and treat other diseases, so a balanced diet and regular exercise are essential lifestyle habits.
◆ A balanced diet and regular exercise are essential
Treatment can vary depending on the cause, and if alcohol is the cause, continued drinking can go beyond fatty liver disease to hepatitis and cirrhosis, so the rule is to stop drinking alcohol completely. If it is difficult to completely abstain from drinking because of a social life, the frequency should be reduced to 1 to 2 times a week. If obesity is the cause, total calorie intake should be kept low and the fat accumulated in the body should be removed through a balanced diet including foods rich in protein and fresh vegetables and appropriate exercise.
As a diet method, rather than fasting or fasting, it is better to eat three full meals, reduce calorie intake, and eat a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein and fat, but avoid late night snacks or snacks. As exercise therapy, aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling and swimming is very useful, and it is recommended to do it at least three times a week for more than 30 minutes at a time. If diabetes and hyperlipidemia are the causes, control of the underlying disease is especially necessary.
◆ The most basic diagnosis of fatty liver! blood test
The most basic test in diagnosing fatty liver is a blood test. In alcoholic fatty liver disease, AST is often higher than ALT, and in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, ALT is often higher than AST. GGT (gamma GT) increases in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and in particular, in alcoholic fatty liver disease, GGT levels increase in proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed, which is useful in monitoring the progress.
Data source: Extract from the September 2023 issue of Health News of the Korean Society for Health Management
Written by: Oh Min-seok, Family Medicine Specialist, Incheon Metropolitan Branch of Korea Health Management Association
The data was provided by: Korea Health Management Association Daegu Metropolitan Branch Health Check Center
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