Don’t Let Your Liver Get Fat

By Author: Masuma Linjavi
Total Articles: 1
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The liver is a four lobed, triangular organ resting on the right side of the abdomen. It carries out many functions necessary for survival, including processes of metabolism, digestion and cleansing of the blood. It transforms harmful substances, like drugs and alcohol, into harmless products which are eliminated in the bile or urine. A healthy liver should have very little to, preferably, no fat. While alcohol consumption has been one of the major known causes of liver diseases, cases of Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have increased manifold in the past decade, especially in children. This has drawn attention towards the lifestyle led by the patients, which acts as a major risk factor.

In case of NAFLD, people build up fat in the liver which is 5 to 10% more than normal. In early stages, NAFLD doesn't usually cause any harm but can lead to irreversible liver damage including cirrhosis, if left untreated. In case of severe liver cirrhosis, the ultimate option at hand would be transplant due to the irreversible cell damage caused.

NAFLD is mainly attributed to poor dietary habits, lack of exercise, and ...
... an overall sedentary lifestyle which, due to the advent of newer forms of technology, is a growing problem among young children today. NAFLD is also associated with a number of metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and cardiovascular diseases in children.

Symptoms include pain in upper right side of the abdomen, fatigue, jaundice(yellowing of skin and eyes), and in serious cases - mental confusion, internal bleeding and fluid retention.

First line treatment of the disease is to adopt a healthy way of life which would drastically decrease excess body fat, the overall Body-Mass Index (BMI) of the patient and increase the amount of muscular tissue in the body. Increasing physical activity would burn more calories and keep the body active and alert. Cardio and strength training also increase the flow of lymph and blood throughout the body, thus, immunising it against various infection-causing viruses including Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C viruses. However, apart from being slow-acting, dietary interventions and exercise cannot undo irreversible damage.

Hence, pharmacological agents (medication) can be used as per the prescription of a hepatologist to protect liver and other organs from further irreversible tissue damage. This measure is time-saving and effective but has its fair share of side effects and allergies associated, such as, Pruritis (itching), skin rash, fever, mental confusion, utricaria etc.

Therefore, it is very crucial to significantly reduce the risk of it in the first place by making lifestyle amendments and controlling existing medical conditions like glucose levels in diabetes. The need of the hour is to promote healthy practices among children, youth, and parents through means of campaigns and programs. Hepatologists and Hepatobiliary Surgeons are able to understand how factors operate for people in their daily lives and how they impact their health. They are trained to understand all sides of the issues. By organizing meetings and campaigns, informative, appropriate messages are developed to educate, encourage behavior change, and engage people to have a good attitude to health. This promotes overall public health.