I'm normal weight and don't even drink, fatty liver, I guess that's why...
Dec 22, 2024
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The patient complained of unfairness, saying, `I don't know why my liver got worse even though I don't drink alcohol.'
Hwang Sung-kyu, head of the gastroenterology department at Seonam Hospital in Seoul, explained, `If you were diagnosed with fatty liver when you did not suffer from viral hepatitis and did not use herbal medicines or health foods indiscriminately, you can suspect non-alcoholic fatty liver.'
Recently, obesity due to low exercise and overnutrition has become a problem, and the number of fatty liver patients is increasing, and the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver is estimated to be 20-30%.
It is true that non-alcoholic fatty liver is likely to be a problem for obese patients.
Recently, however, non-alcoholic fatty liver has occurred in the case of muscle loss due to lack of exercise and aging even at normal and low weight. Director Hwang Seong-gyu diagnoses fatty liver associated with metabolic diseases associated with diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia as metabolic fatty liver."
In order to diagnose non-alcoholic fatty liver, drinking history must first be excluded.
In addition, hepatitis marker testing is essential to exclude viral hepatitis.
It is necessary to examine whether drugs, herbal medicines, and health foods have been used indiscriminately, and if liver function is severe, it is necessary to discriminate whether it is other metabolic liver diseases such as autoimmune hepatitis or Wilson's disease.
Abdominal ultrasound is the most basic imaging test for nonalcoholic fatty liver patients.
It not only can differentiate other diseases, but it also helps to determine the degree of fibrosis.
Director Hwang Sung-gyu said, `A liver biopsy can be performed for confirmation, but since it is an invasive test, it is mainly performed when it is difficult to rule out other liver diseases.'
In the past, there were times when patients were relieved as if there was no problem with fatty liver.
However, it can progress from fatty liver to cirrhosis, the risk of developing liver cancer increases, and hepatocellular carcinoma occurs even in the absence of cirrhosis, which can seriously threaten the health of fatty liver patients.
Exercise and diet are important for non-alcoholic fatty liver. Among them, maintaining proper weight is essential, and even if you lose weight, you have to increase your muscles through muscle training, so you have to do both aerobic and muscle training.
Exercise is recommended to last at least twice a week, 50-70% of the maximum heart rate for 30-60 minutes.
Manager Hwang Sung-gyu stressed that `If you continue to exercise steadily like this, insulin resistance can be improved and fatty liver can be improved even if you don't lose weight.'
Gradual weight loss of 0.5 to 1 kg per week or less is needed rather than a sudden weight loss.
In addition, even if you reduce your diet, you should eat the appropriate amount of protein per day that your body needs.
It should be noted that reducing protein intake can lead to muscle loss along with fat, and it is desirable to eat protein-rich food every day rather than powdered protein.
Director Hwang Seong-gyu said, "Non-alcoholic fatty liver can prevent complications and maintain a healthy life by actively managing it through regular exercise, a balanced diet, and regular health check-ups. Accurate diagnosis and management through a healthy liver and gastroenterologist is the best option, he said.
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bellho@sportschosun.com
