What is Fatty Liver?
(adapted from the Diet Doctor website)
Once a rare disorder, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, has now become all too common. It’s estimated to affect about 25% of the population in most Western countries, and as many as 1 billion people worldwide.
Even children are now being affected.
Although NAFLD can have dire consequences, it can potentially be improved — and in some cases even reversed — with a low-carb or keto approach. In this guide, we’ll tell you how.
Key takeaways
Low-carb or keto diets are potentially beneficial for people with NAFLD because they can:
- Reduce liver fat
- Decrease insulin levels
- Help reverse the disease process
- Suppress appetite, promote weight loss, and improve heart health markers
Several things can contribute to the development of NAFLD. These include:
- Excess energy intake: Eating more calories than needed may lead to excess fat accumulation in the liver — and research suggests this can happen no matter what type of food is over consumed.
- Too many refined carbs: Consuming more carbohydrates than your body is able to handle can drive liver fat storage via a process known as de novo lipogenesis (literally “making new fat”).
This typically happens when both carb and calorie intake are high.
In one study, when overweight adults ate 1,000 extra calories as refined carbs, they experienced a 27% increase in liver fat after just three weeks. - Too much sugar: When it comes to excess carbs, sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages may be especially problematic. These items are high in fructose, which has been shown to increase liver fat when consumed in large amounts.
Some researchers believe that high fructose intake is a major contributor to NAFLD. - Sedentary lifestyle: Observational research suggests that spending too much time sitting rather than moving may promote excess liver fat storage.
However, this is hard to differentiate from other potential contributing lifestyle factors.
For more information visit the Diet Doctor page at https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/guides/fatty-liver-disease
Fatty Liver References
An Integrated Understanding of the Rapid Metabolic Benefits of a Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet on Hepatic Steatosis in Humans
https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)30054-8
Groundbreaking study: low carb is an effective treatment for fatty liver
https://www.dietdoctor.com/groundbreaking-study-low-carb-effective-treatment-fatty-liver
