How is fatty liver treated in young people?

Written by Wu Peng
Gastroenterology
Updated on September 15, 2024
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Fatty liver can include alcoholic fatty liver and non-alcoholic fatty liver, with non-alcoholic fatty liver being common among young people. The treatment principles for these patients are: first, remove the cause and inducement, control the primary disease. Second, adjust the dietary plan, correct nutritional imbalances. Third, engage in physical exercise, primarily aerobic exercise, to control weight. Fourth, maintain normal blood lipids and blood sugar levels. Fifth, correct unhealthy behaviors, such as binge eating and lack of physical activity. Sixth, when necessary, take medications for liver protection, lipid reduction, and anti-fibrosis.

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Written by Wu Hai Wu
Gastroenterology
53sec home-news-image

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.

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
1min 11sec home-news-image

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.

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Written by Huang Gang
Gastroenterology
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Can fatty liver be contagious?

Fatty liver has many causes, the most common being obesity, as well as alcohol; long-term excessive drinking can cause alcoholic fatty liver. Other causes include malnutrition or long-term excessive use of certain medications, including anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids, which can significantly damage the liver. Drugs used to lower blood lipids can also lead to fatty liver. Fatty liver is caused by these factors, not by an infection from a particular bacterium or virus, so it is not contagious. If you have fatty liver, it is recommended to exercise regularly under the guidance of a doctor. There are no shortcuts; only exercise can eliminate fatty liver.

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Written by Wu Peng
Gastroenterology
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The best method to eliminate fatty liver.

For the treatment of fatty liver, the general treatment first needs to identify the cause. For example, patients who drink alcohol excessively need to quit drinking; patients who are obese due to excessive nutrition should control their diet to help return their weight to normal; patients with concurrent diabetes should actively and effectively control their blood sugar; patients with malnutrition-related fatty liver should appropriately increase their nutrition intake, especially of proteins and vitamins. Secondly, adjust the dietary structure by appropriately increasing the intake of proteins and fiber while aiming for a low-sugar, low-fat diet. Minimize consumption of animal fats and eat more vegetables, fruits, foods rich in fiber, and high-protein foods, such as lean meats, fish, and soy products. Most importantly, increase physical exercise to promote the consumption of fats within the body. Aerobic exercises, such as jogging, cycling, swimming, and jumping rope, should be the exercises of choice.

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Written by Wo Cheng
Hepatology
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How to treat the symptoms of fatty liver disease?

The treatment of fatty liver symptoms primarily requires distinguishing the type of fatty liver, which includes alcoholic fatty liver, nonalcoholic fatty liver (simple fatty liver), and steatohepatitis. For alcoholic fatty liver, the first step is to abstain from alcohol. Additionally, it is important to avoid high-fat and greasy foods in the diet. When alcoholic liver damage occurs, if the liver function is severely impaired, treatment with liver-protective, enzyme-lowering, and jaundice-reducing medications may be necessary. For nonalcoholic fatty liver, which is caused by being overweight or having a large waist circumference, treatment involves controlling weight and reducing waist size. Combined with appropriate physical exercise, reducing weight and waist size can help improve fatty liver. The diet should also limit high-fat, greasy, and high-sugar foods, focusing on light and easily digestible food, supplemented with an adequate amount of protein. For people with steatohepatitis, treatment usually involves intravenous infusions of liver-protective, enzyme-lowering, and jaundice-reducing medications.