The liver has important functions such as storing sugar and decomposing toxins in the human body. Once there is a problem with liver function, fat may accumulate in the liver, forming a common “fatty liver“problem; once you suffer from fatty liver, it may lead to other chronic diseases such asdiabetesIn severe cases, it can lead to liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and life-threatening. A registered dietitian pointed out that if the problem of fatty liver can be detected early, it can be dealt with by improving diet and living habits, and listed four suggestions for liver protection to help increase the chance of reversing the disease.
Yu Sixing, senior nutritionist and coordinating director of the Nutrition Department of Sanatorium and Hospital, pointed out that the chance of obese people suffering from fatty liver is 11.6 times higher than that of people with standard weight. Fatty liver can be reversed by improving diet and exercising more.
Fatty liver without obvious symptoms Silently cause diabetes and liver cirrhosis at any time
Yu Sixing, the coordinating director of the Nutrition Department of Sanatorium and Hospital and a senior nutritionist, pointed out that under normal circumstances, fat generally only accounts for 4%-5% of the weight of the liver. Once the proportion exceeds 10%, it can be defined as fatty liver; 10% to 30% of Hong Kong people suffer from this disease.
Fatty liver patients generally have no obvious symptoms and are usually detected by an ultrasound liver scan during a physical examination. Therefore, it is relatively easy to be ignored and increases the risk of suffering from other chronic diseases. For example, if the liver function is damaged, the liver will secrete excess sugar, resulting in high fasting blood sugar and diabetes; fat cells will affect the function of the liver, causing liver cell fibrosis, leading to liver cirrhosis and eventually liver failure.
early detection and improvement Helps improve chances of reversal
Yu Sixing believes that early detection of fatty liver problems and improving diet and living habits as soon as possible according to medical advice are the key to the treatment of fatty liver. With more exercise, 64% of patients successfully eliminated fatty liver, which shows that fatty liver is not completely irreversible.
Four tips from nutritionists reverse fatty liver
Yu Sze-hang listed four major suggestions to remind the public how to pay attention to diet, so as to increase the chance of reversing fatty liver.
1. Choose Healthy Fats Carefully and Reduce Fat Intake
In addition to reducing total fat intake, the public should also choose food carefully and consume more healthy fats. Monounsaturated fats are healthy fats. It is recommended to choose more foods such as olive oil, canola oil and nuts, which will help to absorb monounsaturated fats. As for saturated fat and trans fat, they are harmful to health. Whole milk, palm oil, instant noodles, cakes and fried foods all contain these fats, so it is better to eat less.
2. Reduce sugar intake
Half of the common sucrose in food is fructose. Fructose can promote the liver to produce fat, and these fats will not be transported to other body parts, but will only accumulate in the liver. In addition, regular eating and drinking of high-sugar and high-calorie foods and beverages can lead to obesity and increase the risk of fatty liver. Common high-sugar and high-calorie diets include fruit juices, soft drinks, energy drinks, cakes and ice cream, etc.
As for fresh fruit, although it contains fructose, as long as it is limited to two to three servings a day, it is generally no problem for healthy people.
3. avoid alcohol
Alcoholics are 3.6 times more likely to suffer from fatty liver than normal people. This is because alcohol is toxic, and the liver will process and decompose it first. Therefore, if excessive intake will prevent it from decomposing other nutrients in time, including fat, indirectly causing fat Accumulation; and the liver will also convert alcohol into triglycerides, which is a kind of fat in the blood, which increases fat intake in disguise. Long-term excessive alcohol consumption by alcoholics can also impair the liver’s ability to metabolize fat.
To prevent fatty liver disease, if alcohol cannot be avoided, men should limit alcohol consumption to *one to two drinks per day; women should limit alcohol consumption to less than* one drink per day.
* One serving of alcohol is equal to 250ml of beer; or 100ml of red or white wine; or 30ml of spirits.
4. control weight and prevent obesity
The chance of obese people suffering from fatty liver is 11.6 times higher than that of people with normal weight. This is because central obesity will cause problems in fat metabolism and storage. The increase in free fatty acids in the blood will cause a large amount of fat to flood into the liver. Decomposed, it will accumulate and form fatty liver.
It is recommended that obese people should actively lose weight, because some studies have found that losing 5% to 10% of body weight can help improve health; however, weight loss should not be rushed, and weight loss goals must be set in a planned way, step by step. First of all, obese people should first understand their fat and muscle ratio, and then set a suitable weight loss goal. Afterwards, they can formulate a nutritionally balanced diet menu according to their personal dietary preferences, so as to increase the metabolic rate, reduce excess fat, and maintain long-term standard weight. Those who lose weight should note that increasing the metabolic rate is particularly critical in weight loss, because it can help prevent weight loss from entering a plateau, and if necessary, consult a registered dietitian for advice.
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