What to know about fatty liver disease. The liver typically contains some fat, but excessive buildup can cause fatty liver disease. Fatty liver disease can decrease liver function and lead to weight loss, fatigue, and swelling in the abdomen or belly.
A swollen abdomen can point to a condition called ascites, in which liver malfunction leads to an imbalance of proteins and other compounds, and fluid builds up in the tissues. The main symptom, potbelly, often signals cirrhosis.
If your midsection looks like a pot and your arms and legs are rather thin, you're likely to have a LIVER body type or liver belly.
Lose Weight
Even dropping just 5% of your body weight could lower the fat in your liver. Lose between 7% and 10% of your body weight and you'll lower inflammation and the odds of injury to your liver cells. You might even reverse some of the damage. Go slow -- 1 to 2 pounds per week is fine.
According to the American Liver Foundation, there are no medical treatments – yet – for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. So that means that eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are the best ways to both prevent liver damage from starting or reverse liver disease once it's in the early stages.
Is fatty liver disease reversible? Here's the good news. Fatty liver disease is treated with a combination of diet and exercise. With this regimen, the liver can heal itself and actually reverse the damage that has occurred over the years.
NASH can damage your liver for years or even decades without causing any symptoms. If the disease gets worse, you may experience fatigue, weight loss, abdominal discomfort, weakness and confusion.
Swollen Belly (Ascites)
If your liver is scarred, it can block blood flow to your liver and raise the pressure in blood vessels around it. This makes fluid seep out and collect in your belly. There may be a little fluid and swelling or a lot. Your belly may get very large and your belly button might push out.
Located in the abdominal cavity, belly fat is linked to several major health problems. It's linked to an increased risk for metabolic diseases, including insulin resistance, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease.
Increase physical activity by doing cardio and strength training exercises like weightlifting - these can increase basal metabolism to reduce the fat deposits.
Overburdened Liver Slows Down Metabolism
"The fat and toxins build up in the liver leading to slow metabolism of the body. Due to which fat also starts depositing in other parts of the body causing weight gain," Dr Neerav Goyal, Senior Liver Transplant Surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, told IANS.
Bottom Line: Nutrition plays a major role in improving fatty liver disease. Additionally, many foods are good for fatty liver, such as bran, salmon, coffee, berries, sunflower seeds, eggs and garlic. Be sure to include these nutrient-dense options regularly and always consider your overall diet and lifestyle habits.
Advocates claim that conducting a cleanse with apple cider vinegar helps to flush toxins from the body, regulate blood sugar levels, and encourage healthy weight loss, all of which can improve liver health. However, there's little scientific support for these claims.
A strict 900kcals diet that is low in dietary carbohydrate and fat will encourage your body to use up glycogen (carbohydrate that is stored in the liver) and fat stores, thus helping to shrink the size of the liver. A very low calorie diet (VLCD) is designed to completely replace usual food intake.
Regular consumption of yogurt is beneficial for your liver for the following reasons: It helps reduce weight, body mass index, and serum levels of fasting insulin. These are some of the main risk factors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It reduces cholesterol and sugar levels in your body.