Drinking alcohol has become a trend among youth and the rate of drinking is increasing with increasing age. A survey conducted by the Government of India found that about 14.6% of the population aged 18 to 75 uses alcohol. Rapid increases in alcohol consumption can lead to severe alcoholic liver disease, which can lead to death at an early age.
The liver works to break down most of the alcohol you drink by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase in your liver cells. But if alcohol is consumed daily, the liver's ability to detoxify starts decreasing. After which fat starts accumulating in the liver. The person becomes a victim of fatty liver, then liver cirrhosis and finally liver cancer or liver failure. Let's explore the connection between alcohol and fatty liver as well as the risks associated with this condition.
What Is Fatty Liver Disease?
Fatty liver disease, also known as hepatic steatosis, caused by a build-up of too much fat in the liver. Generally, the amount of fat in the human liver is negligible. But when excess fat starts accumulating in the liver cells, the liver gradually becomes swollen. Due to which the problem of fatty liver arises. Due to this problem, the amount of calories in the body starts converting into fat and gets accumulated in the liver cells. Due to this, swelling in the liver starts increasing further. And in such a situation, if it is not treated in time, there is a risk of liver damage.
What Are The Causes Of Fatty Liver Disease?
The most common cause of fatty liver is excessive drinking, which is why it is also known as alcoholic liver disease. But apart from alcohol, there can be other common causes of fatty liver like excessive consumption of chillies and spices, side effects of certain medicines like aspirin, steroids, underactive thyroid , family history of liver disease, having type 2 diabetes, over weight increased fat in the blood, high cholesterol and decreased metabolism.
How Does Alcohol Cause Fatty Liver Disease?
Our liver is a vital organ of the body, it has many uses. One use of the liver is to remove toxins from our blood. When you drink alcohol, your liver works to break it down, but when you drink too much, it can cause liver damage.
That's because fatty liver disease — that is, excessive drinking that causes fat to accumulate in your liver — is a progressive process. The first stage is known as alcoholic fatty liver disease or AFLD. What happens here:
Breakdown of Substances: The breakdown of alcohol produces certain substances in the body that promote fat formation.
Fat Management: Alcohol can prevent the liver from carrying fat to the rest of the body, causing fat to accumulate in the liver.
Inflammation and Damage: Alcohol can cause inflammation in the liver, which can lead to increased fat formation and damage to liver cells.
How Is Fatty Liver Disease Diagnosed?
Fatty liver is usually found during a routine checkup, when the doctor detects an enlarged liver. Imaging tests MRI, CT scan, and ultrasound scan can show fat in the liver and scar tissue in the liver when liver blood tests are not normal.
How Is Fatty Liver Disease Treated?
Lose weight: Being overweight is a common cause of fatty liver, studies have shown that losing 7 to 10% of your body weight can reduce liver health risks.
Drink Coffee: According to research, regular coffee provides many benefits for liver health. Drinking 2 to 3 cups of coffee daily reduces the risk of fatty liver.
Aloe Vera: Can prove to be very beneficial in preventing liver disease and curing fatty liver problem. It improves liver functioning. Besides, it also cleans the fat and dirt accumulated in the liver. You can take one teaspoon of aloe vera juice with warm water, an empty stomach or liver detox capsules made from aloe vera.
Amla: Effective herb and best Ayurvedic medicine for fatty liver. It is rich in Vitamin C, which helps in improving digestion and removing the toxins present in the body. Consuming Amla juice regularly cleanses the liver and provides relief from liver problems.
Omega-3 Supplements: Omega-3 supplements or foods may help to reduce liver problems. These supplements improve liver health and cholesterol levels in the body.
Ayurvedic medicine for liver: Many Ayurvedic brands in the market offer Ayurvedic medicine for liver which are made from Kutki, Bhuiamal, Punarnava, Bhringraj, Kasni and other powerful Ayurvedic herbs and all of them are effective in the treatment of fatty liver.
Conclusion
In conclusion, excess fat in the liver is a serious problem in itself. The main cause of which is alcohol, when people stop drinking alcohol the fat usually disappears within 6 weeks. However, in the initial stage it can be treated by the method mentioned above but if you do not treat it on time then it can cause serious problems like liver damage or liver cancer.
If people continue to consume too much alcohol or if the medication that causes fatty liver is not stopped, repeated damage to the liver can eventually lead to cirrhosis.
- May have potential benefits for fatty liver.
- It helps in liver cell rejuvenation.
- Helps to improve digestion and metabolism.
