Example Diet against fatty liver

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Premise

The following indications are for informational purposes EXCLUSIVELY and are not intended to replace the opinion of professionals such as a doctor, nutritionist or dietician, whose intervention is necessary for the prescription and composition of PERSONALIZED food therapies.

Fatty liver disease

"Steatosis" means "abnormal increase in lipid concentration within a cell".

In the specific case, hepatic steatosis consists in an excessive accumulation of lipids in the hepatic tissue "; for this, the condition is also known as fat liver.

Note: albeit to a lesser extent, in hepatic steatosis an increase in the levels of glycogen deposited in the liver is also observed.

Hepatic steatosis is not a serious pathological condition, but represents the reversible antechamber of diseases that can prove to be much more severe.

Causes and Types

Fatty liver disease can have two distinct nutritional causes which sometimes give rise to slightly different diagnoses and therapies:

• Alcohol abuse (see deepening: alcoholic steatosis)
• Overeating.

On the other hand, most of the time, degeneration occurs for multifactorial reasons, among which (in addition to the two already described) there is also a sedentary lifestyle.
Fatty liver disease is often accompanied by other comorbidities such as: obesity, Binge Eating Desorder (BED), overt alcoholism, dyslipidemia (hypertriglyceridemia, LDL and total hypercholesterolemia), hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
There is a very serious form of hepatic steatosis that affects only pregnant women and is therefore called "fatty liver disease".
Another even rarer form is caused by a caloric and especially protein deficit (in the third world); in this case, the liver is unable to produce sufficient transport lipoproteins, therefore it accumulates fat inside.
It is possible that the percentage of glycogen inside the liver cells is higher in hepatic steatosis of a dietary nature, rather than in that of alcoholic origin.

Fat or Big?

Fatty liver disease is also referred to as "fat liver”, A much better known definition in everyday language.
However, some confuse the term "coarse liver" with "fatty liver". This happens because, more often than not, the two circumstances coincide; in fact, in hepatic steatosis it is inevitable that the size of the organ increases significantly.
Called "hepatomegaly" in medical language, the clinical sign of liver enlargement can also manifest itself in other types of disease / condition, such as: drug abuse or abuse of food supplements or nerve substances (caffeine and the like), use of doping, infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis or mononucleosis, tumors, hemochromatosis, congestive heart failure, general bacterial infections, metabolic diseases (eg glycogenosis II and IV), lymphomas, biliary diseases etc.

Symptoms, Complications, Treatment

Overt hepatic steatosis is manifested by hepatomegaly, pain in the right hypochondriac, jaundice and splenomegaly.

ATTENTION! A frankly fatty liver constitutes an important, serious and alarming degeneration.

As anticipated, it is an objectively reversible condition, but not for this reason to be underestimated. It is absolutely essential that those with risk factors - such as: obesity, metabolic pathologies, familiarity, alcoholism or alcoholic abuse (> 2-3 servings per day), sedentary lifestyle and secondary factors (such as drug or doping or substance abuse nervine) - face pay attention to painful symptoms which, many times, manifests itself early with the sensation of soreness or swelling.

This is due to the distension of the Glisson capsule (of Glisson), that is the membrane that surrounds the organ; this, very rich in nerve endings, if too stressed (from inside or outside) generates discomfort and / or pain. Some confuse this sensation as intestinal discomfort referring to the ascending portion of the colon (which is in the immediate vicinity); if in doubt, it is absolutely advisable to contact the doctor who will carry out a palpation and, if necessary, will prescribe an abdominal ultrasound.
The complications of hepatic steatosis are mainly related to cell death, therefore to the clinical picture called cirrhosis. Cirrhosis, by definition, represents the "point of no return", or the irreversibility threshold that must not be exceeded. However, even in this circumstance there are various levels of severity and, in milder cases, it is possible to witness the reversal of the degenerative process.

NB. In a good part of the severe cirrhotic conditions, cell mutation can occur, therefore the onset of a tumor.
La treatment of fatty liver takes place by means of: careful dietary therapy, regular daily motor activity and, possibly, pharmacological treatment with: glutathione, urodeoxycholic acid, silymarin, thiopronine and phosphatidylcholine; in alcoholism methadoxine is recommended.

Specific Diet

The diet for hepatic steatosis is a diet useful to reduce, to zero, the excess of energy substrates inside the liver cells.
The key aspects of the fatty liver diet are:

• Energy supply limited to low-calorie content; the adjective "limited" refers to both the percentage of caloric reduction and the treatment time. On the contrary, if associated with obesity, the diet becomes frankly hypocaloric slimming, to be continued for a sufficient time but not exceeding 6 months. In the presence of metabolic pathologies, the diet must include the nutritional principles for specific treatment.
• Drastic reduction: exogenous cholesterol, high glycemic index foods (especially if refined or rich in refined sugars), saturated fats and food additives (some of which are more difficult for the liver to metabolize).
• Removal of the main elements of abuse, usually consisting of alcohol or excess / unnecessary food. If the cause is food, especially junk food (junk food), it is absolutely essential to temporarily eliminate from the diet the products that the subject eats in an abnormal or even compulsive way (e.g. carbonated drinks, french fries, hamburgers, candies, sweet snacks etc).
• Increase the levels of nutrients and nutritional components with a "purifying" function; among these: fiber (especially soluble), antioxidant vitamins (A, C, E), vitamin B1 (often deficient in the alcoholic), other antioxidants (e.g. phenolic ones), lecithins and plant sterols (which reduce the absorption of lipids and improve its metabolism), cynarin and silymarin (molecules that improve liver activity). Contribute to this function: legumes, cereals, vegetables and fresh fruit.
• Increase your overall physical activity level.

It is advisable to leave the liver for short periods of "rest", then accentuate the amount of time that arises between dinner and breakfast; fast for 12-14 hours they can make it possible to progressively and rapidly improve hepatic steatosis and blood levels of glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol.

Longer fasting periods should be avoided, as the liver could be excessively stressed to maintain glycemic levels through the neoglucogenesis process.

Practical Tips

In practice, the diet for fatty liver should be:

• Without alcohol, coffee, chocolate, black tea, energy drinks, cola and unnecessary drugs
• Without junk foods such as sweets, salty snacks, sweet drinks (packaged fruit juices, commercial teas, orange juice, etc.), fast food (hamburgers, wraps, heavily stuffed sandwiches, fries, croquettes, etc.)
• Without discretionary sugar (that added to the table in drinks or food)
• With at least 5 meals a day
• With whole grains and legumes or not shelled
• With lean foods of animal origin
• With very few recipes that are elaborate, fatty or containing refined ingredients
• With lots of seasonal vegetables, of which about 50% raw
• With 2 servings of fresh seasonal fruit per day (better in summer or spring; failing that, prefer oranges, grapefruits, apples, pears and kiwis; the more sugary one must respect smaller portions)

NB: If steatosis is generated by energy and protein malnutrition, make sure you reach at least 0,8-1,2g of protein per kilogram of weight.

Supplements

The drugs for fatty liver are the ones we talked about in the chapter concerning the treatment.
As for the supplements, on the other hand, products based on artichoke and milk thistle (1-2g / day of concentrated dry extract each), rich in cynarin and silymarin, are useful.
In addition, to ensure the production of glutathione (hepatic enzyme), some choose to supplement the vitamin from which it derives, namely PP or niacin (one comprised of about 1g / day).
All products rich in vitamin or phenolic antioxidants are also appreciable.

Diet Example

Adult man, overweight, who lives alone and works as a janitor. He is addicted to alcohol only in the evening, he often eats out and does not practice any sports other than soccer with friends (once a week).

DIET EXAMPLE DAY 1

As can be seen in the nutritional translation of day 1, the proportion of ethyl alcohol is reduced to 0 and the intake of fibers is more than significant; the latter, almost 10g above the average intake for a healthy adult, act as modulators of the absorption of carbohydrates.

Only the protein intake, for the principle of the practicability of the portions and the coverage of other nutritional quotas, is to be considered slightly in excess.

DIET EXAMPLE DAY 2

DIET EXAMPLE DAY 3

DIET EXAMPLE DAY 4

DIET EXAMPLE DAY 5

DIET EXAMPLE DAY 6

DIET EXAMPLE DAY 7

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