To promote liver fat loss, one should have a diet rich with olive oil, nuts and avocados. You can also take protein because it has been found that protein reduces liver fat by 20 per cent
Accumulating too much fat is not good for your body and not even for your liver because when too much fat builds up on your liver then a person often undergoes fatty liver issues. A liver is called a fatty liver if it has more than 5 per cent of it is fat. Consuming too much alcohol gives rise to fatty liver but there are still many cases of fatty liver disease, which is not because of alcohol intake. A number of fatty liver conditions fall under the broad category of non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD), which is one of the most common liver diseases in adults and children in India.
The unfortunate part of this NAFLD is it often gets undiagnosed because the symptoms of it are ordinary like fatigue, tiredness and weakness. Generally, when we experience this symptom often but we never blame it on NAFLD and rather the sleepless nights we spent on movie binge. Another common symptom of alcoholic fatty liver is nausea. If the disease has led to an advanced complication, then you may have all the signs and symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver such as loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin, itching, easy bruising and tiredness. With the passage of time, the undiagnosed NAFLD causes serious liver conditions called as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) besides other NCDs including heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.
Dietary strategies for getting rid of fatty liver:
Cut back on carbs, especially refined carbs
According to various research, only 16 per cent of liver fats come from your diet and a major part arrives from the fatty acids in their blood. So, it’s essential that we control our diet as excess carbohydrates in our body often gets converted into fat. The accumulation of fat in the liver increases with the consumption of fructose-rich foods and beverages. So, if you’re on a fruit diet, the chances are that your body weight will increase by 2 per cent but your fat accumulation in your liver will increase by 27 percent.
Include food that promotes loss of liver fat
In addition to cutting back on carbs and avoiding excess calorie intake, there are certain foods and beverages that may be beneficial for fatty liver. To promote liver fat loss, one should have a diet rich with olive oil, nuts and avocados. You can also take protein because it has been found that protein reduces liver fat by 20 per cent. Even catechins present in green tea decreases liver fat and inflammation in people with NAFLD.
Quench your thirst with water
In summers, there is a tendency of gorging on fruit juices as compared to drinking water. But, fruit juice isn’t advisable to drink when you have fatty liver diseases. Fruit juice can increase the fat accumulation in the body. Drink water because it helps the liver move toxins through its own cellular systems and speed them on their way out of your body.
Exercise can help reduce liver fat
Usually, a person with a BMI over 30 is prone to this disease. Physical activity is essential to reduce both body and liver fat. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has also been shown to be beneficial for decreasing liver fat. Even low-intensity exercises are equally beneficial. But one needs to do it regularly.
The writer is Dr Praveen Jha MD, DM, Consultant Gastroenterology at Regency Superspeciality Hospital, Lucknow