Fatty liver disease is linked to, among other things, obesity and alcohol use.
Here’s another reason to be mindful of the obesity epidemic in the United States: Obesity brings an increased risk of fatty liver disease, an ailment that’s treatable but could mean serious complications.
David Rzepczynski, MD, a gastroenterologist at OSF HealthCare, describes the liver as an “extremely important” factory for the body. It performs many functions, such as detoxifying medications, aiding digestion, and making cholesterol, proteins, and amino acids that help the body function. If you’ve ever missed a meal, you can thank your liver for releasing glucose and giving you energy.
All those “factory functions” make it critical to be watchful of fatty liver disease. As the name suggests, the disease describes an accumulation of fatty cells in the liver. Dr. Rzepczynski said it takes just five percent of cells with increased fat to make a diagnosis, but some obese people have 100 percent of cells with fat.
Hepatitis C and excessive alcohol use can cause fatty liver disease or are at least linked to it. But you can still get fatty liver if you’re not a heavy drinker, and that’s where your weight comes into play.
“The big driving force of fatty liver disease is what we call the metabolic syndrome,” Dr. Rzepczynski explained. “There are five factors: Obesity, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.”
Dr. Rzepczynski added that fatty liver disease may cause pain in the upper abdomen, but it mostly comes without symptoms. So, if any of those five risk factors apply to you or if you’re a heavy drinker, don’t wait. Talk to your health care provider about getting your liver looked at.
A doctor will likely start with a blood test, Dr. Rzepczynski noted. An ultrasound or biopsy also may be needed. The next step – lose weight.
“It doesn’t have to be getting back to your ideal body weight,” Dr. Rzepczynski commented. “Losing five percent of your weight can reduce fat in the liver. Losing seven percent will help reverse some of the inflammation associated with fatty liver, and some studies have even shown that losing 10 percent or more might reverse some of the scarring.”
While it may be a bit alarming, left unchecked, fatty liver disease can lead to a serious condition called cirrhosis, or scarring, of the liver.
“You have normal liver tissue replaced by scar tissue,” Dr. Rzepczynski stated. “When that occurs, you have a loss of liver function and have less liver cells performing their duties.”
Cirrhosis of the liver can cause the organ to fail, making a transplant necessary. Liver issues also may mean an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer, particularly breast and colon cancer.
Learn more about fatty liver disease and other gastroenterology care on the OSF HealthCare website.