Fatty Liver Treatment: A Complete Guide & Remedies

The liver is the body’s main organ for processing food and waste materials. A healthy liver contains very little fat but when fat makes up more than 5% of the total weight of the liver that condition is known as fatty liver.

The extra fat in the liver causes  liver inflammation, which eventually leads to more serious chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis or liver cancer.

So it’s better to think of fatty liver treatment before it’s too late. Some diet and lifestyle changes may help to reduce fat from the liver.

In this blog, we will discuss a complete guide along with some important remedies for fatty liver treatment. 

So keep reading!

Home Remedies for Fatty Liver Treatment

Some change in diet and lifestyle is much more effective in the treatment of fatty liver disease. So here are some remedies that you can try and practice at home and get good results-

Manage Weight 

Managing weight is the most important remedy for fatty liver treatment. If your body weight is high, tends to obesity, you should start managing your weight. Losing 3-5% of your body weight will significantly reduce overall fat from your liver. The best practice is limiting the number of calories you take daily and participating in workouts.

Adopting healthy diet:

Adding green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, olives, and fish can enhance liver health.

There are some useful spices which plays important role in liver health. Such as, 

Turmeric derivative curcumin helps to reduces fat in liver by controlling oxidative stress in the liver.

Oxidative stress is a phenomenon caused by an imbalance between production and accumulation of oxygen reactive species (ROS) in cells and tissues and the ability of a biological system to detoxify these reactive products.

Oxidative Stress has been considered a key causing factor of liver damage induced by a variety of agents, including alcohol, drugs, viral infections, environmental pollutants and dietary components. Curcumin is one of the most commonly used indigenous molecules endowed by various shielding functionalities that protect the liver. The scientific studies showed that curcumin exerts remarkable protective and therapeutic effects of oxidative associated liver diseases through various cellular and molecular mechanisms.

Be Physically Active 

Along with weight loss, being physically active is also important. You should aim for 150 minutes of medium-intensity exercise per week. Swimming, stretching, jogging, cycling, running on the treadmill, or simply just walking can give you unexpected benefits!

Avoid Alcohol 

Whether it’s alcoholic or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, if you have fatty liver, you should stop taking alcohol right away.

Manage Your Cholesterol Levels 

Limit your saturated fats and trans-fats intake to manage your cholesterol levels. It’s because if you have fatty liver, your body can’t really manage your cholesterols. And this results in an increased risk of heart disease and blood pressure.

Reduce Sugar Intakes 

Foods with added sugar worsen the condition of NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease). So start reducing regular sugar intake by liming eating sweet foods.

Medication for Fatty Liver 

Medications aren’t always effective, however, taking some supplements and drugs can be beneficial in fatty liver treatment.

Here are some medications for treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease-

Lipid Lowering Drugs 

Lipid lowering drugs such as Atorvastatin, Fluvastatin, Lovastatin, Pitavastatin, Rosuvastatin etc could be beneficial in managing a fatty liver. 

Insulin Sensitizers 

If your body has insulin resistance, it might lead to complexities in fatty liver. It’s because insulin resistance has an important impact on the progression of non-alcohol fatty liver disease. 

On that note, insulin sensitizer drugs might help you. You can consider taking pioglitazone and rosiglitazone for effective results. 

However, keep in mind that these drugs come with side effects like edema, weight gain, or heart-attack risks. So talk to your doctor first.

Omega 3 Supplements 

Omega-3 is a good ingredient to reduce liver fat and enhance good cholesterol levels. It’s also beneficial for heart health. You can get an abundance of omega-3 from fatty fish or fish oil. Other good sources are nuts and seeds. If that’s not enough for you, you can start taking omega-3 supplements for fatty liver treatment.

Vitamin E Supplements 

Vitamin E reduces inflammation in the body. It is an antioxidant that has positive effects on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients who do not have diabetes. 

Other Options for Fatty Liver Treatment

If you’re at the last stage of fatty liver disease, these remedies might not be enough for you. 

In that case, you can try other options that include surgery or liver transplantation.

Bariatric Surgery 

It’s basically a weight loss surgery, often performed on type-2 diabetes patients with obesity. It could be effective for fatty liver patients as well, even in the fibrosis stage.

Liver Transplantation

When your condition is far worse than natural, maybe liver transplantation is the only option left. It’s usually performed when you encounter liver failure. 

Although the transplant will cure your disease, you will need lifelong follow-ups with the doctors for saving yourself from further complications.

At the end, Fatty liver treatment is only possible if you take it seriously and balance your lifestyle and diet. So, start building the habits before the situation gets any worse!

Some FAQs 

1. Can a Fatty Liver Be Cured? 

Answer: A fatty liver can be cured if a change in diet and lifestyle is managed properly. This practice may reverse the damage to the fatty liver. However, if the liver is completely damaged, liver transplantation would be the only option. 

 

2. Which Oil Is the Best for Fatty Liver? 

Answer: Olive oil would be the safest choice if you have fatty liver. It’s because olive oil can increase HDL in the blood, which is good cholesterol. It also reduces the enzymes associated with the disease. 

 

3. Is Omega 3 Good for Fatty Liver? 

Answer: Yes, omega 3 works well lowering liver fat in a fatty liver. For this, many patients take omega-3 supplements and fish oil which contains a good amount of omega-3.

Reference

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5551541/#:~:text=Oxidative%20stress%20is%20a%20phenomenon,to%20detoxify%20these%20reactive%20products .

Fatty Liver Disease: Risk Factors, Symptoms, Types & Prevention (clevelandclinic.org)

Natural Remedies for Fatty Liver Disease (healthline.com)

The best medications for fatty liver: Research and FAQs (medicalnewstoday.com)