What are the foods to be included in a fatty liver disease diet?

Click HERE to Discover How You Can Reverse Your Fatty Liver Easily, Permanently & In Just Days

Fatty Liver Grade 1

There are three different levels of fatty liver: Grade 1, 2 and 3. Grade 1 is the beginning stages of a fatty liver and generally has the fewest symptoms as well as the best prognosis. As fatty liver progresses to Grade 2, Hepatitis and Grade 3, Cirrhosis, the condition gets much more serious and may require hospitalization.

Here are some basic facts about Grade 1 Fatty Liver:

You may not have any symptoms at all during this stage.

You may discover you have fatty liver when you are at your annual check-up and the test results showed elevated liver enzymes. The ALT enzyme will be elevated on the blood test.

During Grade 1 Fatty Liver, your body is depositing fat cells around the outside of the liver. This still allows your liver to perform its 300+ functions for the most part since there are billions of liver cells and most of them are still working.

The cause of Grade 1 Fatty Liver may be alcohol consumption, medications that have a side effect of causing fatty liver, diabetes, obesity, tuberculosis (use of the drug isoniazid causes fatty liver), poor diet, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and other causes.

Ultrasound, CT scans (computerized tomography), and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) may be used to diagnose Grade 1 Fatty Liver.

A biopsy of the liver may be ordered if your condition is rapidly progressing. The purpose of this test is to find liver scarring which can indicate cirrhosis of the liver, a worse condition. Cirrhosis may have a poor prognosis compared to the reversible condition of Grade 1 Fatty Liver.

Grade 1 Fatty Liver is reversible if you initiate diet changes at this point. For example, it's a MUST to stop drinking alcohol, which is a clear liver cell killer. It's important to add antioxidants to the diet and to eat plenty of vegetables. At this stage of fatty liver, it's not imperative to restrict protein.

If you've discovered you have Fatty Liver Grade 1, then whatever you do, don't get depressed. Just get busy. Clean up your diet, clean out your refrigerator and your cabinets and make a commitment to move forward with your health.

The 1^st step in your fatty liver disease diet is to give up the alcohol and start spending less time with your friends who you tend to drink alcohol with - or convince them all to go the healthy way. You can also sign up for some healthy eating cooking classes. Bring good things into your life to replace your old habits. It's the easy way to change - before it's too late.

Fatty Liver Grade 2

In Fatty Liver Grade 2, more and more fat is being deposited as triglycerides. The fat forms vacuoles in the cells and displaces more of the cell contents, making them dysfunctional. Symptoms start appearing more rapidly in Grade 2 than in Grade 1 and the condition is definitely more serious. Those with this condition need medical care.

The cause of Fatty Liver Grade 2 could be a number of things, including:

·         alcoholism

• diabetes

·         metabolic syndrome

·         obesity

·         certain medications that cause fatty liver

·         genetic disorders of high blood fats (cholesterol, triglycerides)

Depending on the progression of Fatty Liver Grade 2, there may be symptoms such as abdominal pain, bruising in the body, spontaneous bleeding such as nosebleeds, extreme fatigue, fever, itching skin, moodiness, and belly enlargement. The area of the liver in the body may hurt most of the day.

Blood tests will show elevated liver enzymes. And because in Grade 2 Fatty Liver, you will also have inflammation, the condition has now progressed to hepatitis. In some cases, hepatitis may require hospitalization.

Fatty liver has been described in the medical condition as a health issue where free radicals are causing a lot of damage to the liver. Unless someone with Fatty Liver Grade 2 can decrease these free radicals, the damage will continue. One of the main causes of the excess free radicals is alcohol consumption. Another way is to eat foods that are high in unsaturated fats.

Although some health organizations emphasize the viewpoint that it's saturated fat causing the problem, more and more evidence leads to the proving of the idea that it's been the unsaturated fats all along that have been the culprits.

Chemically speaking, saturated fat is stable both at room temperature and in the body. However, it's the unsaturated fats that generate the free radicals and cause the damage. Thus, it behoves you to remove all vegetable oils - corn, soy, safflower, canola and vegetable from your fatty liver disease diet.

The liver is a regenerative organ and if you're at Grade 2, you should make every effort to change your daily habits. The opportunity is now and if the condition progresses, you may not have the chance again. The primary consideration is alcohol consumption. Moderation is not the key here - and never is when a fatty liver has already formed. Abstinence is the only solution.

What foods to avoid in a fatty liver disease diet?

Diet changes are next. If you are still eating a lot of refined carbohydrates, it's time to stop right now. The primary reason is that these are the biggest influence on your triglyceride levels in the body, and it is triglycerides that are accumulating in the liver.

Fatty Liver Grade 3

Fatty Liver has three different grades: Grade 1, 2 and 3. Each of the different grades is associated with certain types of symptoms, and as they progress, they can result in death.

Fatty Liver Grade 1 is the beginning stages of fatty liver. Fatty Liver Grade 2 is where more and more fat accumulate in the liver and the liver starts to decrease its functionality. The cells responsible for performing different functions are dying off as the fat invades the cells. The medical condition is getting even more desperate and medical attention is needed.

Fatty Liver Grade 3 is the most serious of all. In this condition, the liver has the accumulations of fat. It has spread throughout the entire liver. It has now become inflamed. The inflammation in the liver calls upon the rest of the body to help and circulation is sent in to try to remedy the situation but the liver is too weak to even respond. The arteries and veins are having a difficult time trying to pump in nutrients and pump out toxins. Congestion is appearing. The patient's skin takes on a yellow color from the jaundice.

At this point, you may see caput medusa. This is where the veins of the abdomen become visible through the skin. It may appear as if there is a snake right under the surface of the skin over the abdomen. The abdomen is distended as well.

There is also cirrhosis of the liver, where normal liver cells are being replaced by fibrotic cells that have the appearance of scarring. The more scarring in the cells, the less chance of having normal function.

Blood tests will show elevated liver enzymes - ALT and AST. There will be abnormal levels of albumin and the Prothrombin levels will also be abnormal. This occurs because the liver is unable to make clotting factors.

Symptoms are worsening in Grade 3. The condition may progress to the point where the patient becomes unconscious and is in a coma or to the point where kidney dialysis is needed.

At this point, diet changes are drastic. In a fatty liver disease diet, calorie intake has to be reduced significantly because the body cannot process food. The protein levels in the diet are low because the liver can't detoxify the protein. This is an oxymoron because protein is needed to rebuild the liver! Salt intake has been severely restricted.

Still, there are diet changes you can make to feel better. Changing to a healthy diet is always a good idea, as is eliminating alcohol from your diet.

For more ideas on a fatty liver disease diet, watch this video - Diet Plan for Fatty Liver Patients

This post is from the Fatty Liver Remedy Program. It is created by Layla Jeffrey who is a Nutritionist and an Expert on the subject of Fatty Liver. She was diagnosed with a “fatty liver”, or to be more precise, Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatisis (NASH). In this program, she will share how she has succeeded in reversing her fatty liver. This program offers T ime-tested, proven and all-natural ways to PREVENT & REVERSE the 3 main categories of Fatty Liver Disease: Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD), Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatisis (NASH).

To find out more about this program, visit her website – What Foods are Included in a Fatty Liver Disease Diet

What is the Best Way to Reverse Fatty Liver Disease Right Now?

Click HERE to Discover How You Can Reverse Your Fatty Liver Easily, Permanently & In Just Days

Reverse Fatty Liver Disease Right Now - What is Fatty Liver (Steatosis)?

About one of every five Americans has a fatty liver, which is also called steatosis. In fact, up to 9 of every 10 diabetics and people with obesity have fatty liver.

In steatosis, pronounced stee-ah-toe-sis, fat accumulates in the cells of the liver. The condition is cumulative, and as more fat is added to the cells, the cytoplasm of the liver is distorted. Soon the nucleus may be distorted and in some cases, the cell may even burst.

Since all this extra fat is not supposed to be in the cell to begin with, you can imagine how the excess begins to interfere with liver function.

There are two types of fatty liver disease: alcohol-related fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Even without drinking a drop of alcohol, you could end up with a fatty liver - and many people do!

Here are the details of each of these disorders:

Alcohol-related Fatty Liver Disease Alcohol causes steatosis, and the question many people ask is how much alcohol does it take to end up with alcohol-related fatty liver disease? The amount of alcohol differs for men and for women. If you're a woman, more than two drinks per day could cause alcohol-related steatosis.

If you're a man, three or more drinks a day is the amount that is far too much for the liver to handle. Twelve ounces of 5% alcoholic beer, cooler or cider is equal to one serving. When it comes to wine, 5 ounces of 12% alcoholic wine is one serving. And only 1.5 ounces of 40% spirits is a serving.

Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease If you're not drinking any alcohol and still have steatosis, then the reasons why you ended up with it vary. For example, you could have had rapid weight loss, or protein deficiency in your diet (called protein malnutrition), or even starvation, such as what a prisoner of war might end up with. Those who have had intestinal bypass surgery are more prone to get steatosis, as are those who have to be fed via tube feedings for long periods of time.

Some drugs such as corticosteroids and tetracycline can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. And diabetes or insulin resistance plus high blood pressure may also be the cause of it.

Reverse Fatty Liver Disease Right Now - Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver disease generally does not have any symptoms at all in the beginning stages, but as it progresses, there are many symptoms that may develop. On the other hand, there are cases where these symptoms may occur suddenly or slowly over time, depending on the cause of the disorder.

Here's a list of some of them:

Extreme tiredness - The liver is responsible for generating energy for you during the day and when it's not working properly, extreme tiredness sets in.

Loss of appetite - You may lose your appetite because of a corresponding zinc deficiency or because the liver can't process food as before, thus prevents you from eating more until it processes what you have eaten.

Abdominal pain - This occurs because your liver is enlarging, which puts pressure on the receptors for pain in that area of the body.

Itchy skin - Skin itches because toxins aren't being processed in the colon and liver as before and begin to come out through the skin.

Dark urine - Urine collects some of the waste products, which may include more bilirubin that changes the color of the urine.

Light-colored stool - Food is not processed as usual and the dark pigments are no longer seen in the stool.

Behavioral changes - Your liver processes emotions and without it working properly, you will start overreacting and become more emotional.

No sex drive - There are fewer hormones being created by the liver and sex drive declines.

Hyperpigmentation in the skin - Pigments are diverted to the skin for excretion.

Cherry angioma formation in your skin - This is a sign that your liver needs cleansing.

Jaundice - Yellowing of skin, mouth, and eyes, from bilirubin are found in the blood instead of being used in production of bile.

Bruising - Factors of clotting may be low so bruising occurs.

Bleeding from the nose - Factors of clotting may be lowered so bleeding occurs in other parts of the body.

Clots found in the stools or vomit - The body reroutes the blood away from the diseased liver.

Swelling and edema - The body tries to help the liver heal by sending it extra blood flow. However, the veins become congested and there is swelling. Poor production of albumin also causes swelling.

Fever - This can occur because you may easily develop infections.

General poor health - You just don't feel well when you have these symptoms.

Enlarged or tender liver - Your belly hurts when touched.

Who wants to deal with any of these symptoms? Change your diet and drinking habits immediately so you can reverse fatty liver right now.

Reverse Fatty Liver Disease Right Now - Risk Factors of Developing Fatty Liver

If you have any family member that has developed a fatty liver, then it's good to know what are the risk factors of developing the condition. Below are seven risk factors to consider:

1 Obesity

One of the biggest risk factors is obesity. Although every person with obesity won't develop fatty liver, many will.

2 Age

Non-alcoholic liver disease rates have more than doubled in teens, with about 20% of teens and young adolescents showing the disorder. About 10% of adults have fatty liver disease. This statistic really isn't that unbelievable when the diet of teens and young adolescents is examined. They generally live on fast food, and/or high carbohydrate meals that cause increased triglyceride levels. The triglyceride levels increase in the liver and are the cause of the fat accumulation.

Fatty liver also occurs in ducks that are force fed grains in inhumane conditions. Their liver swells to a size 10 times normal and the ducks become very ill; yet some people consider the liver - called foie gras - to be a delicacy. With human children, you don't have to force feed them the high carb diet; they gravitate towards it on their own.

3 Diabetes

Those with diabetes are more at risk to develop a fatty liver for a few reasons. First of all, there's insulin resistance with diabetes, which is a direct insult on the liver and causes disorders of fat metabolism. Secondly, diabetes causes weight problems, and overweight/obesity creates a good environment for fatty liver disease.

4 High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is one of the fats that collects in the liver of those who have fatty liver.

5 High Blood Pressure

Hypertension affects the arteries negatively, including the portal artery and vein which are responsible for feeding the liver and removing its wastes. A blood vessel that is constricted, such as what happens in hypertension, is one that is not properly feeding the nearby organs and tissues.

6 Metabolic Syndrome

There's insulin resistance in those who have metabolic syndrome, which is a direct insult on the liver as stated in #3.

As you can see, many of the risk factors for developing fatty liver are ones that are easily avoidable. You can achieve and maintain ideal body weight, reverse diabetes, metabolic syndrome and high cholesterol as well as lower your blood pressure.

Watch this video - How to Reverse Fatty Liver Disease Right Now (You May Have A Fatty Liver)

This post is from the Fatty Liver Remedy Program. It is created by Layla Jeffrey who is a Nutritionist and an Expert on the subject of Fatty Liver. She was diagnosed with a “fatty liver”, or to be more precise, Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatisis (NASH). In this program, she will share how she has succeeded in reversing her fatty liver. This program offers T ime-tested, proven and all-natural ways to PREVENT & REVERSE the 3 main categories of Fatty Liver Disease: Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD), Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatisis (NASH).

To find out more about this program, visit her website – Reverse Fatty Liver Disease Right Now

What You Need to Know about Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Click HERE to Discover How You Can Reverse Your Fatty Liver Easily, Permanently & In Just Days

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver

All non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not alike. If it's in the beginning stages, it's called non-alcoholic liver disease. At this stage, there are very few symptoms. Someone might have fatigue more than usual, weakness and weight loss but that's about it. Many patients don't have any symptoms at all. Yet if the condition progresses, it can be a silent killer.

Watch this video - What is Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)?

Steatohepatitis Means Inflammation

But when non-alcoholic fatty liver disease progresses to the next stage, it's called steatohepatitis or NASH. It affects up to 5 percent of all Americans. In this stage, inflammation sets in. Inflammation causes congestion no matter where it occurs in the body.

When it's in your liver, the inflammation is affecting a critical organ. Congestion in your major detoxification organ can only mean that your body can't detoxify itself very well from prescription medications, chemicals and preservatives in foods, toxic metals and other toxins.

Symptoms also begin in steatohepatitis but they are similar to fatty liver disease where there's fatigue, weight loss and weakness.

In steatohepatitis, the lab tests will show an elevated ALT level or alanine aminotransferase levels or even AST or aspartate aminotransferase levels. However, you could have elevated ALT or AST levels for a number of reasons, so a liver biopsy is really the determining diagnostic point for steatohepatitis.

Watch this video - Managing Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Cirrhosis is the Last Stage

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the final stages is called cirrhosis. All cases might not progress to this stage but if they do, it may become fatal. In cirrhosis, the functional tissue of the liver is changed to scar tissue. Not all of the liver becomes affected, but as the cells become more and more affected, the symptoms worsen. The person's belly swells so it looks like a large beach ball or like the person is pregnant.

There may be skin changes when the skin color changes to yellow along with the whites of the eyes, mental symptoms such as confusion and personality changes, and kidney damage. The spleen enlarges too. To diagnose cirrhosis, your doctor will decide to do a biopsy, which will show scarring in the cells. A liver transplant is almost always necessary at this point.

Causes of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has numerous causes. Like alcoholic fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease may be reversed if caught in the early stages. Dietary changes and discontinuing all alcohol will be what it takes to start the fatty liver disease reversal.

Here are some of the causes of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD):

1 Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. When someone has insulin resistance, then it's easy to develop obesity. The obesity and insulin resistance together and by themselves will cause fatty liver disease.

2 Obesity

The more fat you have in your body, the greater the accumulation of fat in your liver. This then causes fatty liver disease. Losing the weight helps eliminate the fatty liver.

3 Metabolic Syndrome

Insulin resistance is connected to fatty liver disease because of the high levels of blood fats. Many people with metabolic syndrome eat far too many carbohydrates, which raises triglycerides and causes them to deposit in the liver.

4 High Blood Pressure

In high blood pressure, there is increased pressure within the blood vessels of the body. When the affected blood vessels include the portal vein and portal artery, the liver is unable to perform all its functions. If large amounts of triglycerides and fats have already accumulated in the liver and fatty liver is present, high blood pressure will worsen fatty liver disease.

5 High Blood Fats

The higher the fats are in the blood, the greater the chance for them to be deposited not only in the belly, legs, buttocks and other places where fat will deposit, but also directly in the liver.

6 Genetic Disorders

Two genetic disorders, Abetaliproproteinemia and hypobetalipoproteinemia are linked with fatty liver disease. Abetaliproproteinemia is a disorder where fat absorption and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, and K) is impaired.

Some of the symptoms seen in this disorder besides fatty liver disease include frothy stools, fat in the stool, and protruding abdomen. Hypobetalipoproteinemia is a genetic disorder that causes low levels of LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol and high levels of HDL-cholesterol.

7 Pregnancy

When fatty liver occurs in pregnancy, it's a very serious condition because it may be life-threatening. Usually the condition occurs in the third trimester or right after the baby is born. This condition is rare.

8 Malaria

It's not so much the malaria by itself that causes the fatty liver, but rather the medications. The synthetic quinine drug called chloroquine, aminoquinolone , medfloquine, and primaquine used to treat the malaria are also causes of fatty liver.

9 Nutritional Deficiencies

Many nutritional deficiencies cause fatty liver. Some of these deficiencies include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C, omega-3 fats, vitamin E, and B vitamins (especially choline). You won't know what vitamin deficiencies you have until you see a clinical nutritionist who can run some lab tests. The results of these tests could be life-changing and life-saving for you.

10 Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a lung disease that is still around now. It was more common in the middle of the 1900s but surprisingly, it still occurs. It's not so much the tuberculosis (TB) but the TB drug called isoniazid that causes fatty liver disease.

Symptoms of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

When someone has Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, there aren't any classic signs and symptoms simply because the disorder is a silent one. However, as the disease progresses, you may start to see many symptoms that affect the skin, brain and of course, the liver itself.

Fatigue is a symptom that could be seen in the beginning stage but this symptom is one of the ones that is never used as a clear-cut symptom for any disease. There are hundreds of diseases that have fatigue as part of a whole list of symptoms.

As fatty liver disease progresses and more fat accumulates in the liver, more and more symptoms will begin to surface. Below is a list of some of them plus why they occur:

Loss of appetite - The liver cells are dying daily and the liver is losing its effectiveness at converting foods into energy as well as breaking them down.

Dark-colored urine - This occurs because pigments are being excreted at higher numbers than usual. Since the pigments are darker than the yellow coloring, the urine becomes dark.

Light-colored stool - This occurs because pigments are not processed as well by the liver.

Skin darkens - The pigments that are in greater number have to go somewhere so they are routed to the next large detoxification organ - the skin. The skin turns yellow and is called jaundiced.

Bruising - The factors needed for clotting in the blood to occur are not created in high enough numbers anymore and the capillaries become very fragile.

Nosebleeds - Similarly, capillaries become very fragile without necessary clotting factors.

Fevers - Infections are more likely to occur, which are usually accompanied by a fever.

Overall poor health - The patient feels lousy, looks lousy, and starts to wonder if he will make it.

Swelling in the abdomen - The blood in the body is rerouted since the liver cannot handle the circulation. The veins aren't working as they should and a pooling starts in the abdomen.

Lack of sex drive - Sex hormones are not made in normal amounts and start to decline.

In non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the patient must be proactive and stay on top of all the new habits that need to be initiated to reverse the disease before it progresses to the point of no return - kidney failure, coma and death.

Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

There are several strategies that are used to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and facilitate the reversal of the condition. Below are 7 of them with an explanation of why they work:

1. Exercise

Exercise will help you lose weight, especially if you participate in some of the most advanced gym workouts that never give you more than a 30-second rest. These types of workouts use body weight for resistance, and include exercises such as push-ups and sit-ups in various positions.

The instructor discusses how you can do the exercises while you are still doing the previous set! Some people love this type of workout because they end up burning 600 calories in a session! Weight loss happens easily with this method.

2. Weight Loss Program

A weight loss program is essential if you are overweight or obese since it contributes to fatty liver. However, whichever one you select, you should make sure you can be committed to it. A failing diet means prolonged fatty liver - and your life could depend on the success of the diet.

3. Avoiding Foods with Saturated Fats

Medical professionals tend to believe that saturated fat is the culprit in fatty liver disease; however, they haven't kept up-to-date on the latest information. Saturated fat is stable in the diet and doesn't create the free radicals that accelerate the fatty liver damage and accumulation of fat.

It's the unsaturated fats that are the culprits - vegetable oils, hydrogenated fats, and fats heated to high temperatures. Saturated fat is only a problem if you eat too much of it and pack on pounds.

4. Controlling Cholesterol Levels

Some sources say that controlling cholesterol levels should be done with statins while other sources say that statins cause fatty liver. Cholesterol levels may be high because of low copper levels, low or dysfunctional thyroid, or an overall poor diet. It's best to attack the root cause instead of going after the symptom of high cholesterol.

5. Diabetes Control

The insulin resistance of diabetes contributes to overweight and fatty liver. Regulating your blood sugar levels is essential for fatty liver reversal.

6. Eating Low Glycemic Index Foods

Studies have shown that blood sugar levels are lowered significantly when a low glycemic index food diet is eaten. The term "low glycemic index" refers to carbohydrates. Grains are not low glycemic index, and neither are processed foods including macaroni, cakes, cookies, candy, high sugar fruits, potatoes, corn and sweet potatoes.

Of course, protein and healthy fats are still allowed on this type of diet to round it out to a good healthy diet. Good healthy diets always contain protein, fat and carbohydrates, the ratio of them is what makes the biggest difference.

7. Avoiding Any and All Alcohol

Although someone with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease doesn't have the condition due to their sporadic intake of alcohol, eliminating alcohol is required in order to reverse the condition. Even a small amount of alcohol is a bad amount to consume because the liver is unable to process it and instead will accumulate the triglycerides in the alcohol in the liver. This will worsen the condition.

Watch this video - Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology

This post is from the Fatty Liver Remedy Program. It is created by Layla Jeffrey who is a Nutritionist and an Expert on the subject of Fatty Liver. She was diagnosed with a “fatty liver”, or to be more precise, Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatisis (NASH). In this program, she will share how she has succeeded in reversing her fatty liver. This program offers T ime-tested, proven and all-natural ways to PREVENT & REVERSE the 3 main categories of Fatty Liver Disease: Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD), Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatisis (NASH).

To find out more about this program, visit her website – Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Remedy

Here is What You Need to Know about Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Click HERE to Discover How You Can Reverse Your Fatty Liver Easily, Permanently & In Just Days

Causes of Alcohol-Related Fatty Liver Disease (ALD)

The only cause of alcohol-related fatty liver disease is alcohol. This is obvious to medical experts because those who drink more than two to three drinks daily for long periods of time will often have fatty liver disease - and the fatty liver disease may disappear when the person gives up alcohol.

There are usually no symptoms with alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, some people do experience fatigue, pain in the liver area of the abdomen, and weakness. The cells of the liver are storing large amounts of fat in the form of triglycerides.

Alcohol-related fatty liver disease is not the only liver problem caused by alcohol. Hepatitis can also result. Hepatitis means that the liver cells become inflamed. In fact, in hepatitis, you'll find the same fat deposition in the liver cells along with inflammation and scarring of the liver. The symptoms worsen with hepatitis and there may be nausea and vomiting, fever and the patient may lose his appetite. His or her skin may also turn yellow because of jaundice.

Alcoholic hepatitis can progress to a severe health condition that results in a quick death. However, it can also be a condition that is reversed. Diet plays a big part in how well the person recovers.

Alcoholic cirrhosis is one additional health problem that is brought on by drinking alcohol. Cirrhosis is the worst because of the scarring in the liver. With scarring, regular liver tissue is replaced with hard, fibrotic tissue that has lost its function. Unfortunately, it's more difficult to reverse scarring.

When liver conditions progress to the cirrhosis state, there's edema - swelling - in the abdomen as well as the veins in the abdomen enlarging, called caput medusa because the veins are visible underneath the skin and look like a twisted body of a snake. The condition can progress to kidney failure, coma and death.

If an alcholic shows fatty liver disease, it can then progress to hepatitis and then cirrhosis. It's not true that fatty liver disease will always progress in this fashion, and sometimes patients who drink a lot of alcohol have hepatitis but not the cirrhosis. One thing is certain though: continuing to drink alcohol will worsen the condition.

4 Risk Factors of Alcohol-Related Fatty Liver Disease (ALD)

There's primarily one risk factor for developing alcohol-related fatty liver disease (ALD): the consumption of alcohol.

So who is most likely to become an alcoholic drinker? Psychological studies show that those who are dependent on alcohol are people who can't say no to an extra drink, or the first drink at all. Here's a list of people who are most likely to become dependent on it:

Young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 The statistic of those in this age range who binge drink - a habit that can easily lead to fatty liver disease - is as high as 41%.

Those who tend to be impulsive Someone who is impulsive will tend to try something on a whim. If friends are encouraging a person to drink all day at a get-together, someone who is impulsive might be more apt to do exactly that. He or she may be in a home situation where feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, frustration and being trapped have been coming up recently, making an impulsive person even more impulsive.

Those who are influenced by a peer group Those who are influenced by friends are less apt to stand up for what they believe when the peer pressure is applied.

Those whose parents drank while they observed the behavior Watching a parent drink and treat family members poorly is nothing that a child wants to watch. A child can make a decision to never be like the offending parent but then later in life, finds himself or herself walking in the parent's footsteps.

Counseling helps a lot in these cases.

Those who have had a previous history of drug abuse, and are going through a rough time in their life Stress brings out the worst in us. A previous history of abusing drugs or alcohol can be 'relived' when times get hard, making a person turn to alcohol.

Those who received accolades for drinking large amounts of alcohol Getting praised by one's friends and talked about as if "you're the man" is a good feeling. But when that feeling is associated with alcohol, it starts a neural pathway in the brain that links happiness with alcohol. This link has to be broken if you are going to give up alcohol, something that is essential to reverse fatty liver. Replacing the happiness with a disgusted feeling (such as imagining maggots in the alcoholic drinks) is an old trick that psychologists and hypnotherapists use to break bad habits.

If you recognize that you could be at risk to develop fatty liver disease as a result of your personal drinking habits, the best choice of health practitioner to see is a psychologist.

Symptoms of Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (ALD)

Symptoms of alcoholic fatty liver disease (ALD) depend on whether or not alcoholic hepatitis will develop. In the early stages of alcoholic liver disease, there are no specific symptoms of anything wrong.

However, if you look closely, you will find symptoms and signs that the body is not right.

For example, there will be mental signs and symptoms, such as lack of concentration, moodiness, depression, confusion at times, insomnia and fatigue. The consumption of alcohol depletes the body of nutrients, especially B vitamins and magnesium, which all cause these types of symptoms.

Magnesium deficiency further causes muscle tremors - and in severe deficiency is responsible for the delirium tremens that occurs when an alcoholic tries to withdraw from the drink.

Alcoholism is also associated with a vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency, which is called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. The symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency include memory loss, confabulation, confusion, lack of coordination, and vision disturbances.

These symptoms may be accompanied by blood sugar swings that cause irritability, hunger, cravings, nervousness, anger outbursts, dizziness, and shakiness. The blood sugar swings occur because alcoholic drinks are being substituted for food. There are no nutrients in alcoholic drinks so the body's reserves of the nutrients gets used up. Without eating a healthy diet or taking nutritional supplements, the body starts dying of deficiency diseases. Fatty liver can be caused by nutritional deficiencies as well as alcoholic consumption.

The liver itself starts out with an accumulation of fat - called fatty liver - and then progresses to hepatitis. Not all alcoholics will get hepatitis; some will progress to the worst stage of cirrhosis.

Once hepatitis sets in, there's an inflammation of the liver. Similar to fatty liver, there may not be very many symptoms in the beginning. But as the condition gets more advanced, the following symptoms may appear:

·         Itchy skin

·         Dark urine

·         Light-colored stool

·         Lack of libido

·         Bruising easily

·         Swelling in the legs, ankle and abdomen

·         Fever

·         General poor health

·         Enlarged liver

·         Pain in the abdomen

The sad part about alcoholic fatty liver disease is that when it progresses to a certain point, there may not be a way to reverse the condition. A liver transplant may be needed in order for the patient to survive.

Treatment of Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (ALD)

There are several ways of treating alcoholic fatty liver disease, but the most important method is to stop drinking alcohol. This really does mean the total elimination of alcohol - all beer, wine, hard drinks, tonics and everything else that contains alcohol.

Alcohol damages the liver in several ways:

When you drink large amounts of alcohol, you begin to lose your appetite. Over time, you end up with vitamin and mineral deficiencies that contribute to the development of fatty liver disease. Studies show that deficiencies of vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin A, methionine, choline, vitamin C, and other B vitamins may be related to fatty liver disease.

The high amounts of calories in alcohol can pack on the pounds. Once you are overweight or obese, there is a great risk of developing fatty liver disease.

Alcohol damages the liver cells directly. It causes oxidative stress and generates free radicals that attack the liver directly. Free radicals are clearly related to fatty liver disease.

Alcohol damages the liver indirectly by increasing the space between the cells in the intestines so that substances can leak out into the bloodstream. From the bloodstream, they make their way back to the liver, and some of these toxins may start an inflammation reaction or directly damage cells.

Giving up alcohol is easier than one may think if you approach it like you can approach giving up other bad habits - looking for the goodness and benefits that will replace what you will miss.

For example, what types of activities are you unable to do now? How's your endurance? How do you feel when you get up in the morning? Do you ever look into the mirror and tell yourself you are beautiful (or handsome)? If not, this is simply where you are now but you won't be in the same place after your journey to health ends. Look for positive reinforcement along your journey, never the things you are missing.

Part of the treatment for alcoholic fatty liver disease includes switching to a healthy diet. This is a diet full of leafy green vegetables, fruits, wholesome grains, protein foods, and healthy fats without alcohol, sugar, processed foods, and high amounts of salt. You may notice an immediate improvement in the way you feel - within a week - just from a healthier diet. One thing to remember is that your body will respond quickly and it really does want to show you its regenerative abilities.

Medications may also be used for alcoholic fatty liver disease but no medications have ever been shown to benefit or reverse the condition.

To get more understanding about alcoholic fatty liver disease, watch this video - Alcohol-related liver disease: Mayo Clinic Radio

This post is from the Fatty Liver Remedy Program. It is created by Layla Jeffrey who is a Nutritionist and an Expert on the subject of Fatty Liver. She was diagnosed with a “fatty liver”, or to be more precise, Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatisis (NASH). In this program, she will share how she has succeeded in reversing her fatty liver. This program offers T ime-tested, proven and all-natural ways to PREVENT & REVERSE the 3 main categories of Fatty Liver Disease: Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD), Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatisis (NASH).

To find out more about this program, visit her website – Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Remedy