Fatty liver disease is a phrase that refers to a group of liver illnesses that aren’t caused by alcohol, autoimmune disease, drug use, or a virus. It’s the most prevalent type of liver disease, with up to 30% of people suffering from it. The disorder is now defined as metabolic-associated fatty liver disease, or MAFLD, and was formerly classified as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Your father’s health issues started during a time when this form of fatty liver disease was still being researched. Although alcohol-induced alterations to the liver were originally observed in the 1840s, a metabolic aetiology for fatty liver disease did not emerge until the 1980s. Fatty liver disease can be caused by metabolic problems unrelated to alcohol consumption, according to a series of research undertaken over the last decade. With a better grasp of MAFLD after all these years, you’re in a better position to comprehend and monitor your own liver’s health.
Fatty liver disease is exactly what it sounds like: an accumulation of fat in the liver that is abnormal. While a healthy liver includes some fat, fatty liver disease develops when the quantity of fat in the liver rises over 5% to 10%. This extra fat causes an inflammatory reaction, which leads to liver damage over time.
That means the liver’s hundreds of biochemical tasks, such as filtering pollutants, assisting digestion, controlling blood sugar, and generating and storing nutrients, are all harmed. Obesity, high blood lipid levels, high blood pressure, and prediabetes and diabetes are all associated to the illness.
It’s critical that you tell your health-care professionals if you have a family history of fatty liver disease in the future. In the meanwhile, you can take precautions to lower your risk. Staying away from alcohol, keeping a healthy weight, eating a nutritious diet rich in fresh, plant-based foods, and exercising regularly are just a few of them.
