Scientists from the American Heart Association found that nearly 1 in 4 adults worldwide has an abnormal buildup of fat in the liver, placing them at higher risk for heart disease
The research is published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology and was conducted by Dr. P. Barton Duell et al.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, a condition that also can lead to permanent liver damage.
Although common, NAFLD is often hidden or missed in routine medical care.
NAFLD is similar to a type of liver disease caused by alcohol consumption.
Most people may not know they have it because doctors don’t routinely screen for it and it can develop without symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage, when liver damage occurs.
Most patients do not advance to this stage, which includes complications such as liver cancer, cirrhosis, and inflammation and scarring of the liver, which is a condition called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
NAFLD shares many of the same risk factors for heart disease: high triglyceride levels, excess abdominal fat and obesity, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
However, people with NAFLD are at an even higher risk for heart disease than people who have these risk factors and don’t have fatty liver disease.
The new statement calls for better awareness of and monitoring for NAFLD, improved screening tools and treatments.
It also highlights lifestyle behaviors that can help prevent it, such as keeping Type 2 diabetes and triglyceride levels under control.
The statement encourages people at risk for NAFLD to consult a dietitian for help maintaining healthy eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet that emphasizes fiber-rich vegetables and whole grains.
Losing between 5%-10% of body weight can greatly reduce the risk. Exercising 20-30 minutes per day also can help, even if no weight is lost.
Alcohol consumption is discouraged for people with NAFLD because even small amounts can aggravate the condition and interfere with the liver’s ability to heal.
However, genetics also play a role, and a healthy lifestyle cannot always prevent the condition.
NAFLD can be detected with a specialized ultrasound test that measures liver elasticity, fat and stiffness in the liver, a result of scarring.
A more invasive and more expensive liver biopsy is the definitive test used to detect more advanced stages of the condition.
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If you care about liver health, please read studies about a new therapy for fatty liver disease, and 5 big myths about liver detoxing you should know.
For more information about liver disease, please see recent studies about oral diseases linked to a 75% increase in liver cancer risk, and results showing common beer plant may help treat colon and liver cancer.
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