What is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)?

  • It’s the spectrum of diseases related to the accumulation of fat in the liver as a result of the excess of sugars in our diet.

  • Progressive disease that start with simple steatosis, evolves into non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (inflammation and scaring of the liver) and lastly to cirrhosis.

  • The accumulation of fat in the liver or simple steatosis, increases your risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

  • Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) will lead to cirrhosis.

  • The only treatment available for NAFLD is weight loss through diet and exercise. At this moment, medication is only available through clinical trials.

What happens in NAFLD?

  • Natural evolution

    The excess of sugars, particularly processed fructose, can be as toxic to the liver as alcohol since they are only broken down in the liver. The liver will turn them into fat for future usage, but over time that fat will generate inflammation and scarring of the liver, making it unable to function properly, this is called cirrhosis.

  • Risk of metabolic syndrome

    Having fatty liver puts you at risk of developing diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Women can also develop polycystic ovarian syndrome.

  • Risk of cardiovascular disease

    The accumulation of fat in the liver, also called simple steatosis, increases your risk of cardiovascular disease.

What can you do if you have NAFLD?

Be Aware of your eating habits

It matters WHAT you eat, HOW MUCH you eat and HOW you eat it. Avoid processed sugars: Artificial sugar can be addictive, and it has no nutritional value. It can also worsen your digestion by changing your gut flora.

The more natural, the better

Learn to feed yourself with natural ingredients: fruit, vegetables, grains, meats, if they are not processed, they are good to go. Avoid diet products as they tend to have more sugars than whole products. Read the labels as it is not only about the number of calories you eat. If all of your calories are coming from sugar, it still is toxic for the liver.