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Fatty liver
What should I do about moderate fatty liver?
In cases of moderate fatty liver, it is essential to be very cautious about diet, strictly abstaining from smoking and drinking, and avoiding greasy foods. Additionally, engaging in appropriate physical exercise is advisable, ideally maintaining over half an hour of activity daily, which can boost immunity and prevent weight gain, potentially exacerbating the condition otherwise. Fatty liver is a reversible disease, but if not promptly addressed, it can progress to cirrhosis. Therefore, a light diet should be the primary focus, avoiding fried foods and high-fat foods, including animal organs. Regular follow-up visits to the hospital are also necessary.
How to treat the symptoms of fatty liver disease?
The treatment of fatty liver symptoms primarily requires distinguishing the type of fatty liver, which includes alcoholic fatty liver, nonalcoholic fatty liver (simple fatty liver), and steatohepatitis. For alcoholic fatty liver, the first step is to abstain from alcohol. Additionally, it is important to avoid high-fat and greasy foods in the diet. When alcoholic liver damage occurs, if the liver function is severely impaired, treatment with liver-protective, enzyme-lowering, and jaundice-reducing medications may be necessary. For nonalcoholic fatty liver, which is caused by being overweight or having a large waist circumference, treatment involves controlling weight and reducing waist size. Combined with appropriate physical exercise, reducing weight and waist size can help improve fatty liver. The diet should also limit high-fat, greasy, and high-sugar foods, focusing on light and easily digestible food, supplemented with an adequate amount of protein. For people with steatohepatitis, treatment usually involves intravenous infusions of liver-protective, enzyme-lowering, and jaundice-reducing medications.
Is moderate fatty liver serious?
Moderate fatty liver is considered a relatively severe condition, mainly caused by the excessive accumulation of fat tissue in the liver. Generally, moderate fatty liver can cause varying degrees of inflammatory changes in liver cells. It can be roughly divided into three stages: the first stage is simple fatty liver, the second stage is steatohepatitis, and the third stage is fatty liver fibrosis, also known as steatotic liver cirrhosis. Many factors can cause fatty liver, such as obesity, alcohol consumption, and drug toxicity. If a patient experiences indigestion, diarrhea, or loss of appetite, the possibility of fatty liver should be considered. It is advisable to visit a hospital for an upper abdominal CT scan or an abdominal ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis. The treatment mainly involves three aspects: removing the cause, dietary adjustment, and medication.
Can people with fatty liver smoke?
Patients with fatty liver disease should also appropriately quit smoking or reduce the frequency of smoking. The treatment for severe fatty liver disease mainly includes a reasonable diet, appropriate exercise, as well as choosing to quit smoking and drinking, controlling diet properly, increasing physical exercise, removing the cause of the disease, and actively treating the primary disease. Although smoking mainly causes damage to the lungs, nicotine in cigarettes can also damage liver cells. When people with fatty liver disease smoke excessively, it can exacerbate the condition. It also damages liver cells, so people with fatty liver disease also need to quit smoking or reduce the frequency of smoking. People with fatty liver disease should regularly monitor liver function and undergo imaging tests of the liver to timely monitor the condition and actively enhance physical exercise to control the cause of the disease.
What department should I visit for fatty liver?
Fatty liver is a disease that indicates a metabolic disorder and is considered a type of digestive system disease, as well as a liver disease. In top-tier hospitals, there is generally a hepatology department where one can seek treatment at their outpatient clinic. In slightly less equipped county-level secondary hospitals or third-tier hospitals, which do not have a hepatology outpatient clinic, one can visit the gastroenterology outpatient clinic. Additionally, basic health clinics, which do not have a gastroenterology outpatient clinic, require visiting a general internal medicine outpatient clinic.
What to eat for fatty liver?
Fatty liver refers to the decreased ability of the liver to metabolize fats or an increase in blood lipids. In such cases, it is first important to pay attention to a light diet, eat more vegetables, and drink more water, which is conducive to the metabolism of triglycerides. Additionally, it is best to avoid greasy and spicy foods, as excessively fatty foods can also enter the bloodstream after digestion and absorption, further burdening the liver. It is also important to engage in more outdoor exercise to enhance physical fitness and reduce the accumulation of fats.
How long does it take to recover from fatty liver with exercise?
Fatty liver is a reversible disease that can gradually improve with proactive treatment, dietary adjustments, and appropriate exercise, although the duration of exercise varies from person to person. For mild fatty liver, the treatment period is short. In cases of severe fatty liver, exercise therapy must be complemented with medications, which extends the time required. Currently, there are no specific drugs that completely cure fatty liver. The main treatments involve protecting liver cells, reducing lipid levels, and using antioxidants. It is important to adjust the diet promptly, reduce the intake of greasy food, especially animal fats, and increase outdoor activities such as jogging and playing badminton. Maintaining a positive mindset also helps in recovery. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)
The best method to eliminate fatty liver.
For the treatment of fatty liver, the general treatment first needs to identify the cause. For example, patients who drink alcohol excessively need to quit drinking; patients who are obese due to excessive nutrition should control their diet to help return their weight to normal; patients with concurrent diabetes should actively and effectively control their blood sugar; patients with malnutrition-related fatty liver should appropriately increase their nutrition intake, especially of proteins and vitamins. Secondly, adjust the dietary structure by appropriately increasing the intake of proteins and fiber while aiming for a low-sugar, low-fat diet. Minimize consumption of animal fats and eat more vegetables, fruits, foods rich in fiber, and high-protein foods, such as lean meats, fish, and soy products. Most importantly, increase physical exercise to promote the consumption of fats within the body. Aerobic exercises, such as jogging, cycling, swimming, and jumping rope, should be the exercises of choice.
How to improve diet for fatty liver
Patients with fatty liver should pay attention to a reasonable diet, ensuring three meals are balanced, both coarse and refined, eating more vegetables and fruits as well as whole grains, and eating less greasy and spicy foods, especially avoiding the intake of animal fats, and strictly abstaining from smoking and drinking. While adjusting the diet, it is important to engage in appropriate physical activities, such as jogging, playing table tennis, and practicing Tai Chi, to enhance the consumption of fat in the body. Be cautious when using medication to avoid liver-toxic drugs, maintain a positive attitude, and try not to get angry. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)
Do fatty livers need to be treated?
Fatty liver refers to the excessive accumulation of fat in liver cells. For mild fatty liver, clinical symptoms are not obvious, and there are not many abnormal indicators during physical examinations. In such cases, one can adjust the diet and increase exercise appropriately to promote the consumption of fat in the body. If there is a significant liver function abnormality, increased transaminases, and symptoms of nausea and vomiting, one can choose to use medications that protect the liver, reduce lipids, and provide antioxidants for treatment. At the same time, it is important to maintain a positive mindset and regularly visit the hospital for follow-up checks. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)