Not a Drinker? Liver Disease Could Still Affect You

Table of Contents

How to Protect Your Liver From Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

“What?!? I’m not even fat! How can I have a “fatty liver?!” Ronald was surprised. He had always been a physical person who loved sports and exercise. He was feeling frustrated, however, because he was getting fat around the waist, even though he was doing more abdominal workouts.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the build-up of extra fat in liver cells that is not caused by alcohol. Fatty liver is quite common. Up to one third of Americans have evidence of it, making it the most common cause of abnormal liver tests.[1] Most people don’t know they have it because there are no symptoms until it is very advanced and permanent damage is done.

What Causes Fat in the Liver?

One of the primary functions of the liver is to store energy – or fuel – for the body. But the liver can only store a limited amount of that energy in the form of glycogen. Once full, excess glucose must be turned into fat. Normally, very little fat is stored in liver cells, because the fat can be used by the rest of the body for energy. But if the body isn’t able to use it, then the fat begins to accumulate in the liver, waiting for a time when it can be used. “Fatty liver” means that excess fat builds up (accumulates) in liver cells.[2]

In the past, the most common cause of fatty liver was alcohol. Alcohol is always toxic to the liver. Every sip of alcohol damages liver cells, but they regenerate quickly and most people don’t notice any ill effects. Chronic alcoholism, however, can continuously damage liver cells faster than they can regenerate, causing fatty liver, and even progressing to cirrhosis. Besides toxicity, alcohol is a carbohydrate that disrupts the normal energy cycle of the liver.

Today, there is a new disease that is taking over alcoholic fatty liver by far – NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease). NAFLD results from the accumulation of too much fat in the liver in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption. NAFLD is strongly associated with anything that disrupts the energy of the body, such as obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome and toxins.

The risk factors for developing NAFLD include:

Genetic factors
Drugs
Malnutrition
Inflammation
Infections
Toxins

Genetic Factors for NAFLD

Some people have a genetic predisposition to NAFLD. We often worry about our genes as if they determine who we are, or what illnesses we will get. Genes account for about 10 percent of human disease.[3] Genes only provide the potential for disease; they don’t guarantee anything. There must be additional factors present. For example, there are indigenous Americans who are very susceptible to fatty liver and diabetes, but it only happens if they eat a high carbohydrate diet. If they live on their traditional diet of wild game and garden vegetables, they never have any of these problems. The genes only tell us what is possible. We create the problems by how we live.

In short, there is a full range of factors that influence our health. If genes cause less than 10 percent of disease, it follows that our diet, lifestyle, and environment drive the remaining 90 percent. Genes may load the gun, but our lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Drug Induced NAFLD

Many medications that can damage the liver and cause fatty liver include:[4]

Corticosteroids (cortisone analogs)
Antidepressants (Elavil, Trazodone, Prozac, and so forth)
Antipsychotic medications (Haldol, Abilify, Remeron, and so forth)
Diabetes medications (insulin, and those that increase insulin)
Tamoxifen (used for breast cancer)
Amiodarone (for arrhythmias of the heart)
Methotrexate (for arthritis)
Valproic Acid (for seizures)

These medications are primarily metabolized in the liver. Or, there is an increased risk of liver toxicity associated with use of this medication. There is usually another problem, such as a nutrient deficiency or genetic abnormalities that allow toxicity of drugs.

Diabetes medications mostly increase insulin, and thus insulin resistance, which leads to worsening of fatty liver. Fatty liver is well-known as a precursor to type 2 diabetes, but maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise can help keep your liver in tip-top shape (and can help manage your diabetes if you’ve already got it).

NAFLD Caused by Malnutrition

Lack of nutrients can slow energy production or detox mechanisms in the liver. There are several vitamin and nutrient deficiencies that can lead to fatty liver. The most well-known are:

Vitamin D – A fat-soluble vitamin, Vitamin D relies on the liver for conversion to its active form
Vitamin E – Vitamin E is an antioxidant, meaning it helps to reduce inflammation
Vitamin B12 – Over 50% of total body reserves of B12 are stored in the liver, recycling it for efficient use
Vitamin A – A massive 50% to 80% of your body’s total vitamin A source is stored in the liver
Folic Acid – assists with liver de-congestion
- Pinterest

As we have seen, liver problems are not something that only boozers have to worry about. Instead, you can get fatty liver disease even if you’re a teetotaler. But researchers have recently discovered that there’s a simple step you can take to improve fatty liver — and if you’ve already jumped on the Paleo bandwagon, you’re going to love this.

All you have to do is eat more protein! A lack of protein may also contribute to fatty liver disease, as the liver requires amino acids to detox. Another common problem is a deficiency of omega 3 oils such as those found in fish oil, or flaxseed oil.

Inflammation and Fatty Liver Problems

There are a variety of causes of inflammation and chronic inflammation may block energy in the liver. Celiac disease is a reaction to wheat that can cause fatty liver. Other food sensitivities can bring “leaky gut,” which allows toxins into the blood, increasing the burden on the liver.

Certain Infections and NAFLD

Diseases such as hepatitis and HIV can cause damage to the liver.

NAFLD Risk from Toxins

Besides alcohol and drugs, there are many toxins that can contribute to fatty liver. Cleaning fluid, if ingested is just one toxin that can cause fatty liver. However, these ingestions are rare. The most common liver toxin – by far – is something we willingly and happily ingest every day, namely, fructose.

Large amounts of fructose act like alcohol in the liver, doing damage to the energy systems, and causing fatty liver.

Click To Tweet

Fructose Connection with NAFLD

Fructose is a toxin that is creating a large stir in the health community. We love fructose because it’s the sweetest of all the natural sugars. Scientists have learned how to take the glucose from corn and convert it to fructose so it’s sweeter – creating High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). HFCS can be anywhere from 40-90% fructose. Moreover, fructose maintains its sweetness, even when your taste buds get cold. (The sweetness of sucrose, or table sugar, decreases as the tongue gets colder.) This is why food manufacturers prefer fructose in cold things such as ice cream and soft drinks.

The downside is that fructose stimulates fat in the liver.[5] In fact, fructose is a primary stimulant of inflammation in the liver that can cause fatty liver and progress to hepatitis and cirrhosis.[6] Large amounts of fructose act like alcohol in the liver, doing damage to the energy systems, and causing fatty liver.[7]

Large amounts of fructose act like alcohol in the liver, doing damage to the energy systems, and causing fatty liver.

Click To Tweet

Glucose, the sugar we use for energy, goes right through the liver to be used directly by our cells, but the cells of our body cannot use fructose until it is processed by the liver. So all fructose must go to the liver for processing. In the liver, fructose is made into glycogen for storage, and then into fatty acids for storage, which isn’t a problem until there is too much, causing fatty liver.

Where is fructose found?

Fructose is in many foods such as fruit and vegetables, but only in small amounts. Also, in nature it’s found mostly with other sugars such as glucose. It is when we concentrate fructose and use it in large amounts that it becomes toxic.

Common foods and the percent of sugar that is fructose:

High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is now called “fructose,” “corn sugar,” or “Natural Sweetener” on the labels of your ingredients. 40-90%
Sugar (Sucrose) is the common table sugar such as “cane sugar” or “beet sugar.” 50%
Honey 40%
Agave nectar 70-97%
Maple sugar/syrup 66%
Black strap molasses 11%

Thus, while people want to villainize high-fructose corn syrup as the cause of all our problems, all the sugars we eat may contribute to the problem of fatty liver.

Toxicity isn’t found in the chemical itself, but rather in the amount. People have died from water intoxication by drinking too much water. Likewise, fructose is not a toxin at all in small amounts. In fact, it’s very healthy, providing energy for all our cells. It’s when we eat it every day that we begin to have problems

6 Steps for A Healthy Liver

There are a few simple things we can do to avoid fatty liver and still enjoy life:

Eat sugar occasionally, not daily. Go on a sugar-fast for a month, or a year. It will change your life.
Drink alcohol occasionally, not daily (if at all)
Take your vitamins – Vitamins keep your liver detox mechanisms functioning. If you take vitamins on a weekly basis, instead of every day, you will get enough, without getting too much, or interfering with your normal metabolism. Besides, it will save you lots of money, and you still get all the benefits!
Eat your vegetables – Fresh, raw vegetables are so important for getting nutrients into your liver. Eat a salad, or snack on carrots, celery, cucumber, or peppers.
Avoid unnecessary drugs – Sometimes it’s necessary to use a drug that may affect the liver to prevent other problems. In these cases, if you are doing the program above, keeping your nutrient levels up, and avoiding other toxins, you have a much better chance of preventing damage to your liver.
Intermittent Fasting – when we don’t eat, we allow our cells to use up the glycogen, and the fat in the liver. This can reverse fatty liver all by itself, for the most common causes. The other days we can eat sensibly and not have to worry about counting calories – just eat good food. There are several ways to fast, all of which have been studied extensively. Fasting is the only thing proven to reverse fatty liver disease, improve health, prevent diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and lengthen life.[8]

A 24-hour fast, one day per month is a minimum with no food and water only.
Two days of fasting every week with about 300 Calories.[9]
5 days per month with 300-500 Calories.[10]
A 12-hour fast every night, not eating within 3 hours of sleep, (7pm-7am).[11]

Epilogue: Ronald had some tests and found that he was taking too much energy into his liver. He was trying so hard to build muscle that he was having large shakes with lots of protein and sugar after every workout. We changed this to a protein shake without sugar only once per day, and he was still able to put on muscle, but lost the belly fat – and the fatty liver.

Fatty liver today is more a problem of overeating, especially sugar. You can easily prevent fatty liver by avoiding toxins and getting the nutrients your liver needs to function well. The liver has enough of a burden detoxing the whole body 24-7. We don’t need to add to its burden by taking in more toxins. We also help the liver by giving it a rest periodically. Keep your liver happy, and your liver will keep you happy.

Not a Drinker? Liver Disease Could Still Affect You

How to Protect Your Liver From Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)