Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

And factors before birth can predispose people to becoming overweight.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2015/02/09/non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease-americas-greatest-health-risk-of-2015/

By Hyder Z. Jamal | February 9, 2015

Today, up to 25 percent of people in the U.S. are living with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to the American Liver Foundation. NAFLD is a medical condition associated with obesity that can eventually lead to other liver conditions or even liver failure. In less than a decade, NAFLD will likely become the number one cause of liver transplants in the country, and demand will continue to overwhelm the supply of livers available.

NAFLD presents a major health risk because it is linked to several of our society’s toughest health issues. The disease, which describes the accumulation of excess fat in the liver, closely correlates with the obesity epidemic. Yet NAFLD has also become intertwined with our country’s fixation on alcohol consumption and binge drinking because both put great stress on our livers. For Americans with NAFLD, drinking too much can pose an especially serious risk of liver damage.

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A genetic predisposition to obesity or diabetes, lack of exercise and poor diet—all of which remain major health issues in the U.S.—are all contributing factors to NAFLD. Rates of the disease are expected to continue to rise and will pose a major health risk to many Americans in coming years.
But the disease is far from unbeatable. NAFLD is well worth taking a closer look at because it is both preventable and reversible in most cases.

NAFLD describes the accumulation of fat in hepatocytes, or liver cells, in excessive amounts. These fats are typically triglycerides, which the body naturally stores and creates from calories that it doesn’t need right away. Normally these fats are burned off for energy, but if the body is overwhelmed with calories and a lack of exercise, then the triglycerides are simply never released. They instead accumulate in the liver and cause NAFLD, which can lead to inflammation, scarring, liver dysfunction and even liver cancer.

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Pain relievers are another example of the everyday stress we place on our livers. Millions of Americans use acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, every year. Ironically, drugs like Tylenol that are often used by obese individuals to ease their short-term joint pain are contributing to long-term liver damage. In excess amounts, acetaminophen builds up in the liver and obstructs the pathways it uses to dispel toxins, and as with alcohol, the risks can be compounded for someone who also has NAFLD. Even some vitamins, nutritional supplements and other herbal medications that are used to improve overall health and diet contain ingredients or chemicals that can cause strain on the liver.

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