Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

What is Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ?

Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is a disorder that commonly occurs in people who drink little or no alcohol where there is excess fat accumulation in the liver.

Is It the same as Non Alcoholic Steatohepatits (NASH)?

No it is not. Having excess fat in the liver is not normal, however by itself its not a serious problem. It becomes a problem when excess fat accumulation is associated with inflammation of the liver and liver cell injury (NASH). NASH can lead to liver scarring and cirrhosis.

How do you know if you have Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?

It is mostly an incidental finding. Your doctor might order some lab work to look for something else and can find abnormal liver enzymes. Usually it is asymptomatic (meaning does not cause any symptoms) and mostly the physical examination will be normal as well.

What Causes Non - Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ?

Exact cause and mechanism of this disease is unknown. However it is associated and seen in people with the following conditions:

• Over weight or Obese

• Physical Inactivity

• Elevated Blood Cholesterol (Hyperlipidemia)

• Hypertension (Elevated Blood Pressure)

• Diabetes or Pre Diabetes

How can you prevent or reduce the progression of Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?

• Healthy Diet and Exercise​

• ​Reduce the fat intake

• Eat more foods that have low glycemic index (such as most fruits, vegetables, and whole grains)

• Increase Physical Activity

• Weight Loss

• If you have tried the healthy lifestyle modifications such as healthy diet and exercise and is still overweight with other medical problems or obese, Talk to your doctor about other ways to help lose weight such as medications, surgery.

• Not every method will work for everyone. I highly encourage to start with healthy diet and exercise since that is the best method to lose weight with least side effects and complications.

• Treat the co morbid conditions

• Take your medications for Diabetes, High Cholesterol , High Blood Pressure every day and bring them under control.

• If you are compliant with the medications and still having trouble controlling your medical problem talk to your doctor to find out what is causing the problem.

• Limit Alcohol intake

• Although Non alcoholic Fatty Liver disease is not caused by alcohol, we do not want to cause further damage to the liver by drinking alcohol.

• Alcohol is metabolized by the liver and therefore if your liver is already under stressed due to other reasons, adding more stress to the liver can be more harmful and can worsen your liver condition.

• Avoid medications that can cause damage to the liver

• There are some medications that are metabolized by the liver.

• Talk to your doctor before taking any prescription or over the counter medication (Tylenol, etc) to find out if its safe and what is the safest dose for your condition.

• Obtain required Immunization

• Goal is to avoid any further liver problems that can cause more liver damage and cause liver failure (cirrhosis)

• hepatitis vaccination is recommended in patients with liver problems to reduce further liver damage