How to treat the symptoms of fatty liver disease?

Written by Wo Cheng
Hepatology
Updated on November 13, 2024
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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.

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Written by Si Li Li
Gastroenterology
1min 6sec home-news-image

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.

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Written by Wo Cheng
Hepatology
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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.

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Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
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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.

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Written by Wu Peng
Gastroenterology
1min 10sec home-news-image

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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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.