Often undetected: fatty liver – we can do it ourselves

Fatty liver can be prevented by diet and exercise and be healed

A fatty liver is caused by an unhealthy lifestyle and too little exercise. Experts are sounding the Alarm: The diagnosis is increasing in physician practices. Because the fatty liver disease is considered to be a trigger for cancer. In the early stages is detected, is Suffering the silence is reversible.

Every third German has a fatty liver

According to health experts, more than a third of Germans have a fatty liver. Earlier, alcohol were and fat the liver to eat the main causes for the emergence of a fat. However, in recent years has shown that the most common liver disease in Germany is triggered more often by a sedentary life style and unhealthy diet. Since our liver suffers in silence, suspecting many Sufferers unaware of their disease, which can have serious consequences.

Lack of exercise makes you sick

Declared “the causes which most often lead to in-combinations of a fatty liver disease include poor diet, lack of exercise and Obesity, heavy alcohol consumption or an existing Diabetes mellitus”, Professor Dr. Michael P. Manns, Chairman of the Executive Board of the German liver Foundation, in a communication which was published by the information service science (idw).

But: “A fatty liver disease can also be due to rare genetic causes. In particular, this should be in thin patients with marked fatty liver.“

As it says in the message, are the liver experts agree that only a visit to the doctor a certainty.

Thus, a diseased liver discovered in an early stage of the disease and due to a change in Lifestyle can be cured, is to Test the liver-to-blood values is very important. This, however, is not, as a rule, to the Routine investigations.

Specifically, obese people and patients with Diabetes mellitus should therefore deal with the doctor’s visit, a possible disease of the liver, and clarify.

Fatty liver can lead to cancer

Physicians distinguish between non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and alcoholic fatty liver (AFL) – it is often difficult to make this distinction clearly.

In the first stage of the disease, in both disease variants of a pure fatty liver, which has no inflammatory reactions.

In the second Phase, each of the second Affected developed, showing the liver inflammatory reactions, one speaks of a Steatohepatitis.

From this fatty liver hepatitis may develop liver fibrosis (proliferation of Connective tissue) and cirrhosis of the liver (scarring of the liver).

Also, hepatocellular cancer is one of the possible complications of an inflamed fatty liver.

No recognised drug treatment

There is as yet no accepted drug treatment of fatty liver.

“Currently, different drugs with different active principles are in different stages of development. The reduction of body weight leads in each case to the reduction of liver fat and fibrosis,“ explains Professor Mann.

This direct connection of the body weight, fitness level and liver health, more and more current study findings confirm.

Already a weight reduction of about ten percent in the majority of cases, the regression of a non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) and an improvement of liver fibrosis.

Also, scientists from the German cancer research center (DKFZ) reported a few years ago, together with colleagues from the Helmholtz centre in Munich, that fasting can reduce fatty liver in a timely manner. (ad)