Medical Science | Be careful not to lose weight improperly and you may develop fatty liver

Has “fatty liver” appeared on your physical examination report?

In everyone's impression, as long as you don't gain weight, don't drink too much, and eat less greasy food, you won't be at risk of fatty liver. But the truth is often unexpected: people who lose weight for a long time and are vegetarians are also very likely to suffer from fatty liver!

In fact, fatty liver is not exclusive to fat people. About 20%-30% of fatty liver is caused by being thin.

There was once a news report about a 22-year-old girl who developed fatty liver due to long-term weight loss dieting. When she was sent to the hospital, her face was sallow and she even needed a wheelchair!

There are many similar news reports, and people can't help wondering: I am young, I don't eat greasy food, and my body mass index is normal and low, so how come I have fatty liver? Where does the fat accumulate in the liver?

01

Why do people with low base weight or improper weight loss also have fatty liver?

Many people don’t know that if a thin person is in a state of hunger or semi-hunger for a long time, and loses weight or diets for a long time in order to maintain his figure, and his daily life and behavior lack sufficient support from energy sources such as glucose and fat, he will inevitably consume fat and protein in his body. These fats and proteins will be converted into heat through the liver, which is a transit station. As a result, a large amount of fatty acids enter the liver, and the body lacks the enzymes and vitamins necessary for fat metabolism, which causes excessive accumulation of fat in the liver, thus causing fatty liver.

People who are thin or emaciated usually have latent hypoproteinemia due to poor absorption or supply of nutrients. The production of lipoprotein in the liver will also decrease, so fat cannot be transported and metabolized normally in liver cells, which will also cause or aggravate fatty liver. At this time, substances such as choline, amino acids, and reduced glutathione involved in normal fat metabolism will also decrease, and malondialdehyde and lipid peroxides in the liver will be produced in large quantities, resulting in a negative impact on liver function.

If you have a bad habit of drinking for a long time, and drink more than 160 grams of alcohol a day, the probability of fatty liver will be 5 to 25 times higher than that of ordinary people. Low-alcohol beer, red wine, fruit wine, cocktails, etc., because of their low alcohol content, are easy to tolerate or are broken down by the body in time without showing drunkenness, and are more likely to become hidden dangers. Many people drink on an empty stomach or replace meals with wine, which is more risky.

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Can fatty liver disease be avoided by losing weight?

Many people who have undergone physical examinations think that the cause of fatty liver is excessive accumulation of fat. As long as they eat more vegetables and less meat, they will not have fatty liver by losing weight? The answer is no, because "quick weight loss methods" such as fasting, no-carbohydrate diet, and low-protein diet not only fail to achieve the goal, but also easily backfire and cause malnutrition, because weight loss causes a large amount of fat to be decomposed in a short period of time, excessive consumption of glutathione, resulting in a large increase in malondialdehyde and lipid peroxides, increasing the metabolic burden on the liver, damaging liver cells, causing excessive accumulation of fat in the liver and making it difficult to metabolize, aggravating fatty liver.

03

Why do you still get fatty liver after losing weight?

First of all, we should know that the liver is the main place for fat synthesis, utilization and transportation. Therefore, when the fat transport in the liver is out of balance, it will accumulate in the liver and form fatty liver.

For people who lose weight for a long time or excessively, due to dietary restrictions, they are in a state of hunger or semi-hunger for a long time, insufficient energy intake, and lack of sufficient support from energy sources such as glucose and fat, which will consume fat and protein in the body.

These fats and proteins will be converted into heat through the liver, a transit station, so a large amount of fatty acids enter the liver.

People who are losing weight generally eat vegetarian food, which leads to nutritional imbalance and insufficient protein intake . However, the liver needs protein to transport fat, which will cause fat transport problems and excessive fat accumulation in the liver, thus causing fatty liver.

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How does fatty liver come about?

The liver is an important site for fat metabolism. The liver can digest, absorb, decompose, synthesize and transport fat. Excessive accumulation of fat in the liver leads to fatty liver, which is a common pathological change of the liver.

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What are the causes of fatty liver?

(1) Bad eating habits: overeating, snacking, high-fat diet, late-night snacking, etc.

(2) Eat more and exercise less: The fat accumulation in the liver is proportional to body weight. Too little exercise leads to calorie accumulation and inability to consume it.

(3) Drinking: For those who drink more than 80 to 160 grams of alcohol per day, the incidence of alcoholic fatty liver is 5 to 25 times that of the general population. Substances produced by alcohol metabolism in the liver can easily induce immune responses. Alcohol abuse can easily cause the liver to be in a long-term "inflammatory" state. If liver function is damaged, it can easily lead to a decline in fat metabolism and an inability to transport fat out of the liver, which will eventually induce the occurrence of fatty liver. Therefore, it is not recommended for people with fatty liver to drink alcohol.

(4) Genetic factors: Children whose parents, especially mothers, suffer from fatty liver disease have a higher incidence of fatty liver disease, a younger age of onset, and a faster rate of disease progression after onset.

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Is fatty liver no big deal?

Fatty liver sounds like just a fat liver, and it doesn't do any serious harm to the body. After all, who doesn't have a friend with fatty liver? They seem to be pretty energetic in their daily lives, with no pain or itching, and nothing serious.

Most people do not pay enough attention to fatty liver. If fatty liver is allowed to develop, irreversible fibrosis will occur in the liver within 10-15 years, and even lead to liver cancer!

About 25% of simple fatty liver can lead to fatty liver hepatitis, 25-50% of fatty liver hepatitis can lead to liver fibrosis, 15-30% of liver fibrosis can lead to cirrhosis, and 20-30% of fatty liver cirrhosis can progress to liver cancer.

Not only that, fatty liver can also cause various complications. For example, fatty liver caused by long-term drinking is often complicated by alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, pancreatitis and other diseases.

Fatty liver caused by overnutrition can lead to complications such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and coronary heart disease.

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What to do when facing fatty liver?

(1) Scientific weight loss: Do not rush for quick results. Within 1 year, losing 3-5% of body weight can reverse simple fatty liver and improve metabolic syndrome. Losing 7-10% of body weight can significantly reduce liver function and improve fatty liver hepatitis. If the weight loss can reach more than 10% and be maintained for more than 1 year, liver fibrosis can be reversed.

(2) Improve the cause: Identify the specific cause. For example, fatty liver caused by excessive drinking can be gradually improved by quitting drinking. Fatty liver caused by specific drugs will gradually subside after stopping the drug (stopping the drug needs to be under the guidance of a doctor).

(3) Reasonable exercise:

Proper exercise can also prevent or reduce liver fatty degeneration. It is recommended to do moderate-intensity aerobic exercise 3 to 5 times a week, 30 to 40 minutes each time, such as jogging, brisk walking, swimming, etc.

(4) Anti-inflammatory and liver protection:

For people with fatty liver hepatitis and liver fibrosis, anti-inflammatory, liver-protecting and anti-fibrosis treatments should be carried out under the guidance of a doctor to improve liver inflammation and alleviate the progression of liver fibrosis.

(5) Control your drinking:

Long-term or heavy drinking can easily induce and aggravate fatty liver. If you continue to drink alcohol without restraint after having fatty liver, it may accelerate the transformation of fatty liver into more serious conditions such as fatty hepatitis and cirrhosis. Most fatty livers are reversible, and early detection and appropriate treatment can improve and control them. Therefore, if you are diagnosed with fatty liver, don't ignore it. Your "little liver" is still waiting for you to help it lose weight.

It is worth noting that losing weight and controlling fat is easier said than done. The key is to persevere, and the mistake is to quit when you see results.

Many people have been dieting and losing weight for many years, but after achieving results, their alcohol addiction may relapse, or they may eat and drink too much. Fatty liver may return within 1 to 2 months, and all their years of hard work will be wasted.

In particular, some people have a particularly good appetite and like to eat fatty and greasy food, or even cannot live without meat, or they are well-known among their friends for their alcohol tolerance and drinking habits. There are always times when they can't resist temptation, which often causes their "weight loss plan" to fail halfway and make the fat load in the liver fluctuate like a roller coaster.

It's really wrong to do this to your health!