There are many consequences of being overweight, including a higher risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, sleep apnea and breathing problems, sexual difficulties and more. One of the less talked-about consequences of being overweight or obese is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD.
NAFLD is the term used to describe the accumulation of fat in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol. It results due to the buildup of extra fat in liver cells that is not caused by alcohol. It is normal for the liver to contain some fat, but if more than 5 to 10 percent of the liver’s weight is made up of fat, it is called NAFLD.
The fatty deposits which characterize NAFLD can keep your liver from properly functioning and removing toxins from your blood. While people who drink too much alcohol can also have fat in their liver, it’s not the same as NAFLD.
Nearly 10 to 20 percent of Americans have NAFLD, but few are aware of it. This is because it often occurs without any symptoms. If the disease is allowed to develop for a long period of time, it can ultimately cause liver damage, and something called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH.
NASH is a serious condition, as the liver damage from it can lead to permanent scarring and hardening of the liver known as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis can lead to life-threatening conditions like liver cancer, severe bleeding from varices, which are enlarged veins in the upper stomach and esophagus, impaired mental function and a severe infection of the membrane lining of the abdomen known as spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.
Approximately 2 to 5 percent of Americans have NASH. Some of its symptoms include fatigue or severe tiredness, persistent itching, yellowing of the eyes or skin, weakness and spider-like blood vessels on the skin.
Obesity is believed to be the most common cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Along with the skyrocketing rates of obesity, there has also been a steady rise in NAFLD. You’re at risk if you’re overweight, have high triglycerides or LDL (bad) cholesterol, diabetes or pre-diabetes and/or high blood pressure.
Of course, as mentioned, you can have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and not know, it because this is often a silent disease until it progresses into NASH or cirrhosis. One of the best things you can do to avoid NAFLD is to lose the extra weight.
Achieving a healthy weight through a healthy lifestyle that includes a nutritious diet, regular exercise and stress reduction practices will likely help eliminate or reduce your other risk factors for being overweight and obesity, such as high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension.
If fitting into those jeans is not reason enough to encourage you to lose weight, perhaps the thought of NAFLD will motivate you to shed those extra pounds, so that you can enjoy a lengthier, and higher quality, life.
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/liver_biliary_and_pancreatic_disorders/nonalcoholic_fatty_liver_disease_134,178
http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/cirrhosis
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/effects
