The most common liver diseases today, “cirrhosis,” is the result of alcohol abuse and hepatitis C. Liver specialists from the Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) maintain that a third-type, the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), can also cause cirrhosis or liver failure. This liver disease researcher’s claim is a direct result of the growing obesity epidemic in the world.
Dr. Mark Russo and other bariatric surgeons from the CMC are trying to deal with this issue by observing obese patients on a liquid diet. The researchers are trying to establish whether a liquid diet can help these obese patients in losing enough weight to fight their liver disease. Researchers also held that these patients who are suffering from obesity and the liver disease have discarded surgery as a treatment to cure obesity.
Why is obesity linked with the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?
Other researchers are of the opinion that the fatty acids produce such protein reactions that destroy the liver cells. This chain of events or reactions finally ends with the liver getting scarred and damaged.
Researchers from the Duke University Medical Center confirm that if the liver contains more than 10% of fats, then the risks of contracting cirrhosis or liver cancer increases (Source). Ultrasound, blood tests and a liver biopsy are the common procedures for determining a liver condition. Anna Mae Diehl, chief of gastroenterology in the Duke University asserts that obesity can be regarded as a risk factor for developing the liver disease.
Stages of the NAFLD
The non-alcoholic fatty liver disease occurs in three stages as follows:
- Steatosis: This is a harmless stage where the fat begins to accumulate in the liver.
- Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis: At this stage the fat accumulates and is accompanied with liver inflammation, liver cell destruction and liver scarring.
- Cirrhosis: This final stage is marked by an irreparable damaged liver condition.
If the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (as it is called because the effects are similar to the liver disease caused from alcohol abuse) is detected early, people can fight both obesity and liver complications with exercise and diet.
Researchers claim that about a quarter of the population in western countries suffer from the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Alcohol or drugs are now taking a backseat with obesity taking its turn to prove that liver damage is its share of the cake.
As there are little or no treatments available for treating obesity-related liver disease, the situation is bleak for treating the NAFLD. Before the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease becomes a chronic liver disease in the next decade, fruitful medications and treatments need to be discovered and marketed soon.
