59 Million in U.S. Have Fatty Liver Disease, a Serious Condition: Am I at Risk?

Fatty liver disease (obesity-related) affects 59 million Americans, and 26,000 die each year from complications stemming from this illness^1,2,3,4. Wikipedia.org states that the liver's function is to detoxify the body (filter out unwanted chemicals and toxins), protein synthesis, and to produce enzymes necessary for digestion. It further states that the liver is necessary for survival and that there is no substitute for our liver-once it's gone, so are we. This is why taking care of one's liver is absolutely essential. Follow the inexpensive, 3-step natural cure outlined below to reverse obesity-induced fatty liver disease.

What is fatty liver disease?
Fatty liver disease (FLD), in this case, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition caused by an excess accumulation of fat in the liver of people who consume little or no alcohol².

Another name for NAFLD is non-alcoholic steatorrhoeic hepatosis (NASH), according to Dr. Sandra Cabot, Author of "The Liver Cleansing Diet."

Fatty liver disease is excessive fat buildup in the liver, causing enlargement of the liver, sometimes followed by tenderness⁵. Additionally, a blood test shows an increased liver enzyme level (transaminases)⁶.

Who is at risk of getting fatty liver disease, and what causes it?
In rare cases, the cause is unknown when newborns have it⁵, and the over-consumption of alcohol causes a number of cases of fatty liver disease⁷. However, the vast majority of the remaining cases are non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) caused from obesity⁷. As of July, 2008, the population of the US was 304,059,724³. Of those, 31% are obese¹, or 94.3 million (94,258,514)⁸. According to the American College of Gastroenterology, 2/3 of all obese adults, and 1/2 of all obese children have fatty liver disease⁹, which adds up to an alarming 59 million Americans with this serious, preventable, diet-related condition.

Why is fatty liver disease dangerous?
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can lead to inflammation and scarring of the liver, leading to cirrhosis (permanent liver damage), which causes liver failure and death^2,6. "Science Daily¹⁰" reports that patients who have NAFLD are at a high risk of developing end-stage liver diseases, cirrhosis, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, stroke, etc.). No wonder over 26,000 Americans die each year from complications of NAFLD⁴.

What causes fatty liver disease?
There are two basic types of fatty liver disease (FLD): 1. Alcohol-related (FLD) and 2. Non-alcohol-related (NAFLD). Obesity, by far, is the greatest cause of fatty liver disease in the United States⁶. Consumption of refined starches (i.e., white flour, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup) is the leading cause of obesity and resultant fatty liver disease in the United States¹⁰. The reason for this is that habitual consumption of refined carbohydrates, such as white flour, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup causes the pancreas to over-produce insulin, which causes carbohydrates to be converted into glycogen, then into fat, and stored away (obesity)¹¹. Non-refined carbohydrates, such as whole, raw fruits and vegetables, brown rice, legumes, and grains (i.e., wheat, oats) do not produce this same fat-storage problem, only refined carbohydrates. As this fat-storage problem continues, the individual gains weight and experiences an increased body mass¹², which can be calculated at "Thin and Healthy Forever": www.ThinAndHealthyForever.com/BMIcalculator.asp When an individual's body mass index reaches 30 or more, he or she is considered to be obese¹. Two-thirds of all obese adults have fatty liver disease⁹.

How does fatty liver disease keep us fat?
Fatty liver disease causes the liver to not metabolize fats efficiently, which accelerates the storage of fat, increasing the ravages of obesity¹³. This is a vicious cycle that perpetuates itself. To compound this cycle, excessive weight gain leads to another cycle, metabolic syndrome¹⁴, which also keeps a person fat. Once an individual has become obese, they are trapped within the clutches of these 2 cycles: fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome, from which it is difficult to break free. Dr. Sandra Cabot, author of "The Liver Cleansing Diet" states that "...fatty liver is a degenerative disease of the liver where the liver cells are literally choked to death by globules of fatty substances within them. These patients have a total inability to metabolize fats and suffer with weight excess." Fatty liver disease is a serious, avoidable, diet-related condition¹³. This is why it is so important to avoid refined and processed carbohydrates, and also to monitor and control our weight closely.

Can fatty liver disease be cured?
Fortunately, there is an inexpensive and natural cure for obesity-related fatty liver disease! Follow this 3-step cure:

1. Never eat refined or processed carbohydrates (white flour, white bread, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other refined starches). Even bread that is labeled "whole grain" can be 99% white flour, which will perpetuate both fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome¹⁴. Read the label closely, and make certain it does not contain any "enriched" (refined) flour of any kind. Avoiding refined carbohydrates facilitates weight loss, which is a natural cure for fatty liver disease. A safe way to ensure that carbohydrates will not contribute to fatty liver disease or metabolic syndrome is to eat carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index (55 or lower). This index (and most common foods) is available at: http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

2. Never eat "seconds" at a meal. Additionally, your food portions must be in accordance with serving sizes recommended by the American Diabetes Association at http://www.diabetes.org/food-nutrition-lifestyle/nutrition/meal-planning/diabetes-food-pyramid.jsp. Eating large portions and/or seconds prevents weight loss, which is the only natural cure for obesity-induced fatty liver disease.

3. Never eat between meals when trying to lose weight. The body can only burn fat after no food has been consumed for a few hours (varies from person to person), according to Ray Burton, ISSA-certified trainer, bodybuilder, and author of "Fat To Fit." Eating between meals prevents our bodies from burning fat and thus prevents us from losing the weight we must shed in order to reverse fatty liver disease.

Once the above 3 steps are followed daily and become part of our lifestyle, weight loss will occur, and our diet-induced fatty liver disease will be cured. Weight loss is the only cure for obesity-induced fatty liver disease⁶.

References:
1. Obese population of US: American Sports Data, Inc., www.americansportsdata.com/obesitystats.asp

2. Population with NAFLD: American college of Gastroenterology, http://www.gi.org/patients/gihealth/fld.asp

3. Population of the US, July 2008, US Census Bureau: 304,059,724. http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=uspopulation&met=population&tdim=true&q=population+of+the+united+states

4. "Indications in Hepatology and Liver Diseases" by Tilo Stolzke, pub. Sananet GmbH 2008; www.liver-products.com/pdf/Indications-in-Hepatology-and-Liver-Diseases.pdf

5. "Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy" by Merck Sharp & Dohme Research Laboratories

6 "Fatty Liver" by MedicineNet.com; http://www.medicinenet.com/fatty_liver/page10.htm

7. "Fatty Liver Disease-A Major Cause of Obesity-Related Morbidity and Mortality" by Wm Balistreri, MD, pub June 2005. http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/506625

8. Obesity Stats provided by American Sports Data, Inc., http://www.americansportsdata.com/obesitystats.asp

9. The American college of Gastroenterology, http://www.gi.org/patients/gihealth/fld.asp

10. "Science Daily" report, Oct. 4, 2006: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061003191351.htm

11. "The American Journal of Nutrition," 138:1452-1455, Aug 2008. http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/138/8/1452

12. Body Mass Index Calculator by Thin and Healthy Forever at www.ThinAndHealthyForever.com/BMIcalculator.asp

13. "The Liver cleansing Diet" by Dr. Sandra Cabot, 1997

14. Metabolic Syndrome, Anne Copley (Apr 2009), http://aclnk.com/ar1638218