Get rid of fatty liver and embrace colorful life

        As the saying goes, "if the liver is not good, life is black and white. Office workers not only have to face all kinds of pressure at work, but also socialize with customers and participate in family dinner after work. If you don't pay attention, fatty liver will come to you. How to deal with and prevent it? The answer is in this issue of "health column"!

        Mr. Chen is a busy office worker. He often works overtime on holidays. After work, he also participates in various social activities and family dinner. After health examination this year, we found that there was "fatty liver" and abnormal liver function index. He worried about the risk of liver explosion, so he went to the hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal Department of the hospital for treatment.

        The influence of fatty liver on the body

        Fatty liver is commonly known as "oil in liver". When the body takes in too many calories, liver cells will convert the calories into triglyceride fat, causing liver cells to accumulate too much fat. When the amount of triglyceride in the liver exceeds 5%, it is called "fatty liver". Long term accumulation of oil in liver cells may lead to cell damage, liver inflammation, and then develop into chronic hepatitis and liver fibrosis. In the long run, not only cirrhosis, but also liver cancer may develop. If patients themselves are carriers of chronic hepatitis B and C, their risk will be increased.

        According to statistics, about 30% of Taiwan's population has fatty liver, which is more than that of hepatitis B and C. in other words, fatty liver has become the most common liver disease in China.

        How to diagnose fatty liver?

        Abdominal ultrasound is the most common method in clinic. The liver with fatty liver will appear white and bright on ultrasound images. According to the brightness, it can be divided into mild, moderate and severe fatty liver. The more serious the fatty liver is, the more likely it is that the deep structure can not be seen clearly, thus affecting the observation of the liver.

        Generally speaking, fatty liver does not have any symptoms, most people are receiving physical examination, or because of other symptoms to see a doctor, after receiving abdominal ultrasound examination, they accidentally found fatty liver. About a quarter of the patients will have liver inflammation. From the blood examination of the patients, it can be found that the liver function index (got, GPT, γ GT) rises, which may lead to fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, abdominal distension or jaundice.

        Causes of fatty liver

        The causes of fatty liver can be divided into "alcoholic fatty liver" and "non-alcoholic fatty liver". The former is caused by excessive drinking, and more than 90% of alcoholics have fatty liver; the latter is related to eating habits, obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia or metabolic syndrome, especially "obesity" is still the main cause of non-alcoholic fatty liver. According to body mass index (BMI), people with BMI over 27 may suffer from fatty liver. People with BMI over 30 have fatty liver in 80%. However, a small number of drugs, hepatitis C, eating habits or genetic constitution can also cause symptoms, so thin people may also suffer from fatty liver. 　　

        How to prevent and treat fatty liver?

        Fatty liver can be recovered before liver fibrosis or cirrhosis due to long-term inflammation. Therefore, the goal of the treatment of fatty liver is to avoid liver inflammation and lead to irreversible situation. However, there is still a lack of effective treatment, so the most important thing is "prevention is better than treatment".

        To avoid fatty liver, one must adjust one's diet and living habits. If one has the habit of drinking too much, one must stop drinking. In addition, one should try not to eat high calorie, fried food, desserts or sugary drinks, because "obesity" is the main cause of fatty liver. In fact, weight loss is the most effective way to improve fatty liver. Research shows that as long as you lose 7% of your weight, you can significantly improve the liver inflammation; if you lose 10%, fatty liver may even disappear. In other words, people who weigh 70 kg have to lose at least 5 kg before they have a chance to stop the liver from getting inflamed. However, for health reasons, it is recommended that the weight loss rate should not exceed 0.5 to 1 kg per week.

        In addition to controlling dietary calories, it is recommended to cooperate with aerobic exercise such as running, fast walking, swimming and cycling, keep exercising three times a week for more than 30 minutes each time, and the heart rate exceeds 130 beats per minute, so as to effectively metabolize body fat and eliminate fatty liver. If you have diabetes or hyperlipidemia, you must receive appropriate drug treatment. On the one hand, it can improve fatty liver, and on the other hand, it can avoid cardiovascular disease or kidney disease.

        If fatty liver symptoms are found by examination, do not forget to regularly follow-up blood sampling and abdominal ultrasound examination. If the liver function is normal and there is no liver disease in the family history, it can be tracked once a year; if the fatty liver is complicated with metabolic diseases and abnormal liver function, it is recommended to track once every six months; if the fatty liver is complicated with hepatitis B / C and abnormal liver function, it should be tracked once every three to six months; if the most serious fatty liver is complicated with cirrhosis and abnormal liver function, it must be tracked once a month Follow up every 3 months.

        Changing diet and habits to reverse fatty liver

        After he went to the doctor, he was further diagnosed as mild fatty liver by the doctor, and was not the carrier of hepatitis B and C. The assessment should be caused by drinking, eating too much, less exercise and weight gain. Following the doctor's advice, he changed his eating habits, normal work and rest, exercise and weight loss. After half a year's efforts, he lost 5kg of weight, his liver function returned to normal and his fatty liver disappeared.

        In recent years, due to the affluence of life, Chinese people tend to eat high calorie, high fat, eat more and move less. In addition, the popularity of drinking alcohol or sugary drinks has led to obesity, hyperlipidemia, and even diabetes and other metabolic diseases, which has also become a high risk group of fatty liver. Fatty liver is one of the warning signs issued by the body, and it may be the precursor of other metabolic diseases. It reminds you to adjust your eating habits, exercise more, and control your weight to "eliminate fat and protect the liver". If you find liver inflammation and abnormal liver function index, you need regular follow-up examination to reduce the risk of liver disease.