As the second-largest organ in the body, your liver is absolutely vital. It is responsible for over 500 functions that help keep the body healthy, including processing and absorbing nutrients from the foods you eat and filtering out toxins from your blood
As cases of obesity and insulin resistance have increased, so has another big problem: non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD. Today, this chronic liver disease affects over a quarter of the population.
We’re all taught the dangers of over-consuming alcohol, which can destroy your liver at the cellular level. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease happens because your liver has been damaged through other lifestyle factors.
Let’s take a look at non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and break down the things you can do to alleviate its symptoms and heal your liver over time.
What is Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?
NAFLD or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is, in a nutshell, a condition characterized by fat buildup in the liver. More specifically, NAFLD means that you have a number of liver conditions associated with increased fat content but drink only a little alcohol or none at all.
NAFLD’s primary characteristic is that too much fat is stored in your liver’s cells. Because many Americans eat a modern diet with lots of processed food, NAFLD is becoming increasingly common.
If left unchecked, NAFLD can lead to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH. This is a very aggressive type of fatty liver disease and includes excessive liver inflammation. In the worst cases, it can lead to liver scarring, liver cancer, liver failure, and even death.
What Causes Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?
Medical professionals aren’t exactly sure what the single biggest cause of NAFLD is. However, research has shown that unhealthy lifestyle choices such as a sedentary lifestyle and poor food choices contribute to an accumulation of fat in their liver cells even if they don’t drink alcohol excessively.
An ultrasound is usually how Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is diagnosed. There are other imaging tests like special ultrasound and MRI scans, which can help diagnose the illness and spot scar tissue in the liver.
Risk Factors for NAFLD
- Obesity or being overweight.
- High insulin resistance. With this condition, your cells don’t absorb sugar when they detect the presence of insulin.
- High blood sugar or hyperglycemia. This could indicate type II diabetes or “prediabetes”.
- High levels of fats in the blood, especially triglycerides.
In short, poor lifestyle habits are likely the major culprit behind NAFLD. This is why it is more common in the United States and other Western countries.
Because of these risk factors, many people with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease are also at risk of or have conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
What are the Symptoms of NAFLD?
In the early stages, NAFLD doesn’t have very many visible symptoms. But some people can experience symptoms like:
- Cirrhosis or scarring of the liver (fibrosis), is a very serious condition characterized by fluid retention, internal bleeding, mental confusion, and even loss of liver function or excessive liver damage.
- Pain in the abdomen.
- Weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, rapid weight loss.
- High blood pressure.
- Swelling in the abdominal or leg area edema.
- Liver enlargement.
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin).
- Exhaustion/fatigue.
- Enlarged blood vessels.
If NAFLD is not treated before total liver failure, death can result. Without your liver, your body can’t absorb adequate nutrients from your diet and it can’t filter toxins from your blood.
Natural Remedies For NAFLD
While Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease can be quite serious, there are several measures you can take starting today to limit its symptoms or start repairing your liver. In general, taking steps to become a healthier person and correct any unhealthy habits you have will go a long way toward lowering the likelihood of you developing NAFLD.
1. Lower Insulin and Triglycerides
The major goal should be lowering insulin resistance in your body and getting rid of high levels of triglycerides in your blood. In other words, you need to get rid of excess fat and sugar in your diet.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to rehab your lifestyle by eliminating processed foods that are high in sugars, carbohydrates, and other inflammation creating ingredients. Replace those foods with higher nutritional value like non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and organic or pasture-raised sources of chicken, fish, and beef that are also free of GMOs. It’s not always easy to know what to eat or where to start, check out recipes on the blog or grab the Make Food Simple cookbook for healthy inspiration!
You can also take steps to control your cholesterol levels. Too much cholesterol means you are at a greater risk of heart disease and your liver has to work overtime to filter toxins from your blood.
Again, this can be corrected by following a nutrient-rich diet and cutting back on fatty or overly processed foods like cake, bread, and even fatty cuts of meat.
A healthier lifestyle will gradually produce a number of serious benefits for your body, including:
- Improving your blood sugar levels.
- Lowering inflammation in your body.
- Boosting your energy and mental health.
- Improving your body weight if you are under or overweight.
With these changes, you’ll be less likely to develop insulin resistance and the level of triglycerides in your blood will drop sharply. Plus, you’ll feel better overall!
2. Exercise Regularly
The next big thing you can do is exercise regularly. High-intensity interval training or HIIT is particularly helpful if you need to lose weight and want to build muscle at the same time.
By exercising regularly, you help your body burn through its stores of fat and carbs regularly, which lowers the likelihood of weight gain. You’ll also feel better, have more energy, and enjoy greater cardiovascular health, which lowers the risk of heart disease.
Everyone should exercise regularly, but individuals at risk of NAFLD should especially start an exercise routine fast! A simple 10 minutes of exercise per day can make all the difference!
3. Herbal Remedies
Milk Thistle
Milk Thistle is also a great herb to use when it comes to supporting liver health and detoxification. Studies have shown that it’s active ingredient, silymarin, prevents toxins from binding to the cell membranes that are responsible for metabolism, detoxification, and other processes. It can also assist our bodies by reducing the damage that NSAIDS, acetaminophens, alcohol, rancid fats, and other toxic substances may cause to our liver. You can find milk thistle in extracts, teas, or supplements.
Glucomannan
One of the most helpful ways to assist your liver is by maintaining a healthy body weight. Research shows that glucomannan, a low-calorie, dietary fiber can help people who are overweight reduce their body weight by increasing satiety or fullness. It can also greatly reduce cholesterol and help lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
An easy and convenient way to get your daily intake of both Milk Thistle and Glucomannan is with a bulletproof coffee or tea with Livingood Daily Collagen + Multi! Livingood Daily Collagen + Multi is formulated with milk thistle, glucomannan, and a full multi-vitamin, which are all nutrients necessary for the health of your liver.
Glutathione
Glutathione is a substance produced by the liver and essential in many of your body’s processes. It also works by protecting our cells from oxidative stress, toxins, heavy metals like mercury, and other pollutants. It is vital for detoxification and it can trigger certain toxin-cleansing enzymes in your liver, removing various wastes and poisons that may build up over time. Low levels of glutathione is associated with increased risk and exposure to heavy metal toxification, cardiovascular disease, age-related disease, liver disease, and autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders. You can increase your levels of glutathione with Livingood Daily Detox, a morning and evening formula offering power nutrients and herbs built for intracellular and extracellular detoxification.
Summary
As you can see, NAFLD may be a serious condition, but it is far from untreatable. Making these lifestyle changes help prevent your liver from storing excess fat cells. A healthy liver means a healthy you, so taking these steps now is important so you can prevent potential major complications.
Sources
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) | American Liver Foundation
Secondary causes of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease | NCBI
NASH Causes & Risk Factors | American Liver Foundation
Causes of High Cholesterol | Heart.org
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3342568/
