A fatty liver is only caused by years of alcohol consumption? Not quite! Because a wide variety of triggers and risk factors can lead to your liver becoming fatty. Here are the seven most common causes.
Almost a quarter of all adults in Germany already have fatty liver (steatosis hepatis) and the number of cases continues to rise. This is mainly due to our modern lifestyle, which is characterized by several behaviors that promote the development of fatty liver. Here are the seven most common causes of fatty liver.
Table of Contents
Fatty liver: 7 causes of fatty liver
1. Heavy alcohol consumption
Whenever we consume the stimulant alcohol, we should keep in mind that our liver takes the brunt of it. Because it is responsible for 90 percent of the alcohol breakdown and therefore suffers – like the brain – especially when we look too deep into the glass. If this happens regularly, at some point the detoxification organ can no longer keep up and perishes. Because the breakdown of the cell toxin alcohol puts a lot of strain on the liver and, in the long run, leads to increased storage of fat in the liver cells. In the worst case, a fatty liver remains undetected for a long time and becomes inflamed over the years, which can lead to irreversible liver cirrhosis .
Important: The threshold dose for liver damage for men is 30 grams of alcohol per day – this corresponds to about 0.6 liters of beer or 0.3 liters of wine . Even smaller amounts are considered dangerous for women.
2. Too much sugar
According to the German Liver Foundation , so-called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFL) is even more common than alcoholic fatty liver disease. Although many would assume that dietary fats are the main cause given the name, the consumption of short-chain carbohydrates, i.e. sugar, in particular, leads to fat storage in the liver. Because the organ always converts excess sugar molecules into fat. In moderation, this isn’t a problem for the liver, but the majority of us significantly exceed the maximum recommended daily intake of 25 grams of sugar , which primarily affects the liver. Therefore, sweets, sugary snacks such as a piece of cake at work or, in particular, sugary lemonades and fruit juices are among the main causes of fatty liver.
3. Diabetes mellitus Typ 2
A fatty liver can also develop as a result of other diseases. This happens particularly often in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Both diseases are favored by excessive sugar consumption and can aggravate or even trigger each other. People with type 2 diabetes are therefore at an increased risk of fatty liver and vice versa. If you suffer from type 2 diabetes, it is therefore all the more important that the doctor treating you regularly checks the status of your liver in order to be able to detect fatty degeneration or even inflammation of the liver cells (hepatocytes) at an early stage.
4. Lack of exercise
In addition to the heart, other organs such as the liver also suffer from the lack of exercise, which is no longer a rarity these days. Above all, the combination of a lack of physical activity and excessive calorie or sugar intake is extremely stressful for our liver. Because if the sugar that we ingest through food is not burned through the muscles, the liver has to process it and store it in the form of fat. Sport and everyday exercise such as walking or cycling are therefore very effective measures to prevent fatty liver and relieve the organ.
5. Obesity
In addition to sugar, a simple calorie surplus can also lead to fatty liver in the long term. Because overweight, obesity and especially the hormonally active abdominal fat favor the development of this civilization disease. Therefore, be moderate with high-calorie and highly processed foods such as fast food or pizza and cook them yourself as often as possible Omega-3 has an anti-inflammatory effect and protects your liver.
6. Disturbed intestinal flora
In den vergangenen Jahrzehnten ist Forschenden und Mediziner:innen die Bedeutung der Darmflora für unsere Gesundheit immer bewusster geworden. Dabei wurde die sogenannte Darm-Leber-Achse entdeckt, über die sich unser Verdauungsorgan und unser Entgiftungsorgan gegenseitig stark beeinflussen. So produziert die Leber etwa wichtige Gallensäuren, die im Darm für die Fettaufnahme und Fettverdauung benötigt werden. Umgekehrt verhindert die schützende Darmbarriere, dass ungewollte Schadstoffe wie Bakterien ins Blut und über die Pfortader zur Leber gelangen. Ist unser Darm jedoch – beispielsweise infolge von Darmerkrankungen, Adipositas oder Antibiotika-Therapie – mit den falschen Bakteriencolonized, this can damage the intestinal barrier. This makes it permeable to so-called endotoxins , which migrate to the liver and , according to studies , can not only cause inflammation but even fatty liver.
7. Hepatitis C
It has been known for a long time that increasing fat accumulation in the organ also promotes the development of inflammation and other liver diseases. But can infection with hepatitis C , for example, also promote the development of fatty liver? According to the Deutsche Leberhilfe eV and aok.de , this is actually the case. A certain type of virus (hepatitis C genotype 3) seems to promote the development of fatty liver in particular. Almost 50 percent of all patients with hepatitis C also suffer from fatty liver .
Book tips against fatty liver
If you want to protect your liver with the right diet, these guides will help you: In “The 4-week cure for fatty liver: liver fasting according to Dr. Worm” takes Dr. Nicolai Worm gives you a hand for four weeks to rejuvenate your liver with delicious recipes and tips. Dr. Michael Greger in How Not to Die . Very entertaining and with countless everyday tips.
