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Fatty liver
What should people with fatty liver not eat?
Patients with fatty liver should not drink alcohol or eat greasy, rich, and heavy foods such as fatty meats and fried foods, nor should they consume animal organs. They should eat more fruits and vegetables and more coarse grains. At the same time, they should increase physical activity, as exercise can promote the metabolism of fats and has a positive effect for patients with fatty liver. Additionally, patients with fatty liver should not overwork or stay up late, as fatigue and lack of sleep can damage liver cells, leading to an increase in transaminase levels. This is especially detrimental for patients with fatty liver, as they are more susceptible to liver cell damage. Moreover, excessive anxiety or being prone to anger can also harm the liver, and is harmful to patients with fatty liver; thus, it is important to maintain a relaxed mood.
What causes fatty liver?
Fatty liver refers to a pathological condition characterized by the accumulation of excessive fat in liver cells, caused by various factors and marked by diffuse fatty changes in liver cells, constituting a clinical syndrome. When too much fat accumulates inside liver cells, it impairs normal liver function, a condition we refer to as fatty liver. The main causes include long-term diets high in fats, calories, and sugars leading to obesity-induced fatty liver, chronic alcohol consumption leading to alcoholic fatty liver, and hereditary obesity factors causing fatty liver. Based on the extent of fatty degeneration in liver cells, fatty liver can be classified into mild, moderate, and severe fatty liver. Fatty liver could potentially lead to liver cirrhosis, which may cause liver cancer. Upon diagnosis of fatty liver, dietary control, abstaining from alcohol, and active exercise are necessary for treatment.
Fatty liver MRI manifestations
Fatty liver, also known as hepatic steatosis, typically appears normal in most cases on MRI. However, a minority of cases may show high signals on T1 and T2. In fat-suppressed sequences, the high signals disappear after the fat is suppressed, appearing as low signal shadows. MRI has a specific sequence for examining fatty liver, known as the dual-echo sequence, which includes two sequences: one is the in-phase sequence and the other is called the opposed-phase sequence. The in-phase sequence examines the liver parenchyma, while a characteristic feature in the opposed-phase sequence is the significant decrease in signal in areas of fatty metamorphosis.
What foods are good for fatty liver?
Fatty liver is primarily caused by nutritional excess or abnormal lipid metabolism, leading to excessive storage of fat in liver cells, resulting in fatty liver. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to the diet, which should be low in fat. Firstly, it is crucial to quit alcohol, as drinking with fatty liver can easily damage liver cells, leading to elevated transaminase levels. Additionally, it is important to reduce oil intake, especially fried foods which must be completely avoided, as well as high-fat foods such as fatty meats, which should be largely excluded from the diet. Foods rich in oils like seeds, peanuts, and walnuts, which are high in cholesterol and fats, should also be consumed less, as they can increase the severity of fatty liver. A light and easily digestible diet should be preferred, with an increased intake of vegetables and fruits. When consuming meat, lean meats should be chosen to help with the recovery of fatty liver.
How to treat fatty liver disease?
The treatment of fatty liver includes pharmacotherapy, surgical treatment, and dietary and lifestyle management. Since the occurrence of fatty liver is related to various factors, it is important to adhere to the principles of early detection, early diagnosis, early treatment, and comprehensive management. Active measures should be taken to treat the cause of the disease. For example, it is crucial to quit alcohol early, discontinue medications harmful to the liver, monitor the patient's weight, and actively encourage weight loss. In everyday pharmacotherapy, vitamins, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folic acid can be used. Appropriate hepatoprotective medications can also be utilized. In severe cases, liver transplant surgery or weight loss surgery may be necessary.
Harm of Fatty Liver to the Body
Fatty liver has become a common disease in modern people and it can bring potentially great harm to the body. Firstly, fatty liver can cause steatohepatitis, leading to elevated transaminases and causing inflammatory changes in the liver, damaging liver function. Long-term liver damage can lead to cirrhosis, and the likelihood of fatty liver turning into liver cancer also significantly increases. At the same time, most patients with fatty liver have abnormalities in lipid metabolism, are likely to have comorbidities like high blood sugar and high blood pressure, which could damage various systems throughout the body.
Can mild fatty liver heal itself?
Mild fatty liver can potentially be cured. Mild fatty liver refers to a lesser accumulation of fat in the liver. If one can effectively control their diet and enhance physical exercise, healing can be achieved. Fatty liver means that a large number of fat cells are not consumed and accumulate in the liver, causing damage to the liver cells, which we call fatty liver. In people with mild fatty liver, there is less fat accumulated in the liver. If one can persist in effectively controlling their diet while also appropriately strengthening physical exercise, self-healing can occur. People with fatty liver also need to regularly monitor liver function for any changes. If there is liver damage, it may be necessary to receive appropriate treatment with liver-protecting drugs. If liver function is normal, simply exercising reasonably and controlling diet can alleviate symptoms and signs.
What are the symptoms of fatty liver? Is fatty liver serious?
If you have fatty liver disease, the symptoms are essentially the same as those of chronic hepatitis B and C, which include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, aversion to oily foods, and fatigue. Additionally, patients with fatty liver disease may experience a sensation of swelling and pain in the liver area. At this point, further liver function tests such as measuring transaminase and bilirubin levels can be conducted, and performing a hepatobiliary ultrasound can definitively diagnose the condition. If the fatty liver is due to obesity, it is advisable to strictly control food intake and engage in active and reasonable exercise for weight loss, as fatty liver can be reversed. However, if the fatty liver is due to long-term excessive alcohol consumption, it is recommended to strictly quit smoking and drinking, combined with reasonable exercise and diet control, as fatty liver can also be reversed.
What is fatty liver?
Fatty liver is a pathological condition caused by excessive accumulation of fat in liver cells due to various reasons, which impairs the liver's normal functions. This is a relatively common liver pathology. Patients may experience symptoms like fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and discomfort in the upper right abdomen, primarily treated in the departments of gastroenterology and hepatology. The population at higher risk includes patients with diabetes, alcohol abuse, obesity, and those who have undergone excessive weight loss. Fatty liver can also occur during pregnancy. Patients may experience impaired liver function, and in severe cases, they may develop fatty liver hepatitis or fatty liver cirrhosis.
How to treat severe fatty liver?
The treatment of severe fatty liver is not significantly different from that of mild to moderate fatty liver in terms of medication. The main aspects of treating severe fatty liver include: Firstly, general treatment, which encompasses a healthy diet, appropriate exercise, weight control, and avoiding liver damage. Secondly, medication treatment: Due to large individual differences, there is no absolute, best, quickest, or most effective medication. Apart from using common over-the-counter drugs, it is important to select the appropriate medication based on individual circumstances. Additionally, surgical treatment options are available. For patients with severe obesity and type 2 diabetes, or for those with moderate cases but ineffective control of blood sugar through conservative treatment, weight loss surgery can be considered. Furthermore, combining treatment with traditional Chinese medicine and herbs can also yield excellent results for severe fatty liver.