Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh recently said that every third Indian has fatty liver. If you are silently thinking that fatty liver is liver diseasewhich fills the liver with fat to dangerous levels, is not going to happen to you just because you don’t drink alcohol, you are wrong. Even a teenager can suffer from it, and it can develop into a more serious condition called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH, which is a leading cause of liver cancer, Cirrhosis and liver transplant. But the good thing about this is that it can be reversed in the early stages.
As did Sunil Kumar, 23. “I was struggling obesity for years but grade 2 fatty liver “It was a wake-up call for me that I never expected at my age,” says Mumbai-based Kumar, who weighed 143 kg at the time of diagnosis. Diet And intermittent fasting helped him lose significant weight and cure liver disease.
stop its progress
A recent global study conducted by more than 40 researchers revealed that the global prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is 30.2%. In India, the rate is even higher at 33%. It is more prevalent among Indian women (38%) than men (33%).
Dr Sandeep Nayak, principal investigator of the study and based at Bridgeport Hospital in the US, told the Times of India that a meta-analysis of 479 studies involving over 70 million people from 38 countries shows that NAFLD is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide.
Dr Debashish Dutta, Director, Gastroenterology, Fortis Hospital, says NAFLD is caused by various factors such as excessive weight gain, high blood sugar levels, high cholesterol or elevated triglycerides.Kolkata: Diabetologist Dr V Mohan says that 50-75% of people suffering from type 2 diabetes suffer from diabetes. diabetes NAFLD can occur, and about 90% of people with diabetes and obesity are likely to have this condition. “NAFLD can lead to cirrhosis and even liver cancer in some people,” he says, adding that drugs like semaglutide are very effective Weight Loss And has been found to be capable of reversing fatty liver.
Dr Prashant Kadam, Consultant, Liver Transplant and HPB Surgery at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, says that managing diabetes effectively and taking medication to control cholesterol and triglyceride levels is important to control fatty liver disease in such patients. However, he says that grade 2 or grade 3 fatty liver disease can be almost reversed through lifestyle and diet changes – and studies show that losing as little as 3% of body weight can significantly reduce liver fat.
Thin-Fat Factor
The key to Kumar’s weight loss journey was Shashikant R Iyengar of Metabolic Health India, who says a diet of fried food, sweetened beverages (especially those with high fructose corn syrup), fruit juices, refined carbohydrates, etc. is responsible for it. “A sedentary lifestyle makes the problem worse,” says the metabolic health coach.
But Iyengar says it’s not just obese people who get fatty liver. “We are seeing a rise in cases of ‘lean NAFLD’ or TOFI (thin outside, fat inside) syndrome, due to which many young Indians with normal BMI are developing fatty liver,” he says. Dr Chetan Kalal, a liver specialist at Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital, says there is a genetic link. “The PNPLA3 gene variant, which increases the risk of fat accumulation in the liver, is more prevalent in the South Asian population, including Indians,” he says. This, combined with lifestyle, is a recipe for fatty liver disease in young Indians.
Devanand Prabhu, health coach and co-founder of the Mind Muscle Project, says that a disease that was earlier seen in people in their fifties is now common among people in their twenties and thirties. “I have seen cases of fatty liver even in children as young as 8 years old,” he says.
Make junk into junk
Prabhu warns against seemingly innocent habits. “Can you imagine an Indian household that doesn’t have a tea-biscuit ritual at 4 pm? These little things, combined with sweet drinks, are actually a bomb for the liver,” he says.
experts say Prevention And reversal is key. Dr Sudeep Khanna, senior gastroenterologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, explains how a 32-year-old vegetarian man from Gujarat reversed his grade 3 fatty liver. “We put him on a low-carb diet, reduced meal frequency, and started him on resistance training. In four months, his condition was completely cured.”
Alarm bells started ringing for 43-year-old Naresh Narayan Telange from Mumbai when he started feeling tired all the time. Telange was in the catering industry and frequently ate fried foods. Routine blood tests revealed abnormalities in his liver function and an ultrasound confirmed grade 2-3 fatty liver. Telange was advised exercise and dietary changes and managed to lose 7 kg in six months. His liver function tests returned to normal and repeat imaging showed his fatty liver had reduced to grade 1. “Now, I carry my own tiffin to work. Today I had chapati, dal and cauliflower curry for lunch,” he says.
Holistic Approach
One of Dr Mohan’s patients had grade 2-3 fatty liver and uncontrolled diabetes and had a similar recovery process. “Being a spiritual guru, he incorporated yoga and walking into his routine over a period of four months and reduced his intake of rice and carbohydrates significantly. This resulted in his weight loss, diabetes control and improvement in ultrasound,” says Dr Mohan.
Dr Vineet Shah, Senior Consultant, Liver Diseases at Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune, who cured his fatty liver condition, believes that a holistic approach to treatment is key. “I worked on the most important pillars – low carb diet, fixed meal timing with dinner by 7 pm, avoiding junk food, strength and resistance training, sleep hygiene and mind relaxation,” he says. Dr Shah’s weight dropped from 92 kg to 74 kg and all his tests became normal within a year.
Additional reporting: Deepthi Sanjeev
