According to the German Liver Foundation, around every fourth adult suffers from fatty liver. If left untreated, liver disease can cause other serious illnesses. Those affected need to know this!
Our liver takes over many tasks in our organism. One of their main functions is to detoxify our body. As one of our largest organs, it converts, among other things, nutrients from food into usable substances, stores them and delivers them to the cells. In addition, our liver is involved in the production of bile or proteins and plays an important role in fat metabolism.
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What is fatty liver?
In this country, fatty liver is a widespread disease of the organ. A distinction is made between alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver. The former is triggered by excessive alcohol consumption. The most common causes of non-alcoholic fatty liver are an unhealthy diet, insufficient exercise and metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus.
Our liver suffers and “silently” becomes fat. This means that we don’t notice signs of fatty liver until the disease has progressed. Symptoms include fatigue, loss of appetite, flatulence, a feeling of fullness, nausea and a feeling of pressure in the upper right abdomen. A fatty liver can completely heal and regenerate thanks to a balanced and low-fat diet. However, if old habits are not discarded, the fatty degeneration of the liver will continue. This has serious health consequences for you.
Fatty liver: These diseases can threaten
Your fatty liver can cause diabetes
The more pronounced your fatty liver is, the poorer the insulin effect on the cells. For this reason, a fatty liver can trigger type 2 diabetes mellitus . Conversely, diabetes can also damage the liver and therefore significantly increase the risk of fatty liver.
Your fatty liver is attacking your heart
Due to fatty liver, the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and calcification of the vessels increases. Since the detoxification of the liver is limited, substances are released that can attack the heart vessels. In severe cases, a fatal heart attack can occur.
Your fatty liver damages your kidneys
A fatty liver increases the risk of other diseases and can sometimes cause kidney stones . Because of the disturbed liver metabolism, the production of oxalic acid in the body can be stimulated and this in turn promotes the formation of kidney stones – as researchers at the TU Dortmund have found out.
Your liver becomes inflamed
If your fatty liver progresses further, your organ can become inflamed. Hepatitis can in turn lead to irreparable liver cirrhosis . Functional liver tissue is destroyed and replaced by connective tissue. The consequences: the liver becomes scarred, loses size and can no longer perform its tasks.
Treating fatty liver: Those affected need to know this
There are currently no approved drugs to treat fatty liver. Therefore, to achieve a regression of fat deposits, the best way is to change your diet. Vegetables, protein and high-quality vegetable oils form the basis of your daily diet. You should therefore avoid sweets and sugared foods, alcohol and unhealthy trans fats. In addition to diet, regular exercise plays an important role in reducing liver fat and obesity.
