Fatty liver: What to avoid?

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor Tran Quoc Tuan - Emergency Resuscitation Doctor - Emergency Resuscitation Department - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital

According to statistics, about 20-30% of the Vietnamese population has fatty liver disease. Diet is closely related to the treatment of this disease. So what to eat with fatty liver? What foods are good for people with fatty liver disease?

1.1. Definition Fatty liver disease is essentially a manifestation of the accumulation of too much fat in the liver. It is called fatty liver disease or hepatic steatosis when the accumulation of fat in the liver exceeds 5% of the weight of the liver. Fatty liver disease can lead to cirrhosis, which in turn can lead to liver cancer.
1.2. Causes There are many causes of fatty liver disease. Statistics show that fatty liver disease is common in alcoholics, inactivity, overweight, obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia (including cholesterol and triglycerides, or malnutrition due to protein deficiency or can be caused by other hepatitis diseases: hepatitis A, B, C, E or malaria
In addition, if the diet is high in fat, high in sugar or too low in protein, it is also possible If fatty liver disease is accompanied by hepatitis B and C viruses, up to 25% will progress to cirrhosis in the same time, even liver cancer

1.3. Signs to recognize fatty liver Early stage: Because the deposition of liver fat occurs slowly, most of the early stages do not have obvious signs. Only an ultrasound, blood test or CT scan can detect it. However, some cases of fatty liver may experience signs such as fatigue, pain or heaviness in the liver. Later stage: there will be signs: abdominal pain, jaundice, vomiting and nausea. At this time, fatty liver disease has advanced and the treatment process will be more difficult.

2.1. These are the ideal foods for people with fatty liver disease because they have the effect of lowering cholesterol in the blood and liver cells (every day each person should eat at least 300g of green vegetables, 200g of fresh ripe fruit). Some foods are considered drugs that have the effect of reducing fat such as: peas, fresh ripe tomatoes, yellow peppers, spinach, celery, lettuce, garlic, bananas, shiitake, lemons, oranges, tangerines. , grapefruit, ripe apple, green tea, lotus leaf, flower, artichoke flower ...
Specifically: Shiitake mushrooms contain many substances that reduce cholesterol in the blood and liver cells; Lotus leaves: reduce blood fat, reduce fat and prevent fat accumulation in liver cells, used to drink or cook lotus leaf porridge; celery: contains many vitamins, cools the liver, lowers cholesterol, promotes the excretion of waste products and cleans blood; Corn: contains many unsaturated fatty acids, capable of promoting the metabolism of fat in general and cholesterol in particular. Fresh vegetables such as broccoli, chrysanthemum, water spinach... fruits such as tomatoes, bitter melon, melons, cucumbers... have a cooling effect, cooling the liver, clearing heat...
2.2 . Vegetable oil People with fatty liver disease should abstain from animal fat and should instead use vegetable oils such as peanut oil, sesame oil, soybean oil (except coconut oil)... These oils contain a lot of vegetable oil. Unsaturated fatty acids have cholesterol-lowering effects. Eat moderate food (1g/kg body weight/day).

2.3. Protein from eggs, milk, meat, fish, legumes... In addition, people with fatty liver need to limit lipids and fats. However, you should not strictly abstain from fat because every nutrient is needed by the body. Body structure must have fat to metabolize substances in the body, normally humans need 1g lipid / 1kg body weight.
For people with fatty liver disease, it is necessary to pay attention to reduce animal fat, increase vegetable oil, switch to fat that is easier to absorb like in fish.
2.4. Silkworm pupae, fresh fish It sounds strange, but silkworm pupae have a very good effect on reducing cholesterol in the body. Very useful for people with fatty liver disease caused by obesity.
Also fresh fish is highly recommended. Because fish contains a lot of protein but very little fat. Reduce the burden on the liver while still providing adequate nutrients for the body.
2.5. The natural herbs Artichoke, green tea, lotus leaf are effective in reducing the amount of fat in the liver. Clear heat, regulate the body and prevent fat accumulation in the liver.

The goal of fatty liver treatment is to reduce the amount of fat in the liver. So what should people with fatty liver not eat?
3.1. Limit fat, animal fat Animal fat when tolerated in the body will pass through the liver, excreted in the liver. Using too much animal fat will burden the liver. The liver cannot excrete fat, leading to accumulation causing fatty liver condition. You should replace animal fats with oils of plant origin.
3.2. Avoid eating foods rich in cholesterol Animal organs, egg yolks... contain a high amount of cholesterol. Reducing the consumption of these foods helps to reduce the amount of fat in the liver.
3.3. Do not eat too much red meat Red meat contains a lot of protein. These foods are metabolized in the liver. This will increase the burden on the liver. The liver cannot metabolize, causing an increase in the amount of stored fat. Make fatty liver disease more serious.

3.4. Limit high-fructose fruits High sugar content is the cause of a series of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, fatty liver. Fructose is metabolized by the liver. Limiting high-fructose fruits will help reduce the burden on the liver and prevent fatty liver disease.
3.5. Abstain from hot and spicy foods Spicy foods such as ginger, garlic, chili, pepper, coffee. These common everyday spices are also included in the diet list for people with fatty liver disease. Patients need to be careful when using them because these spices are spicy and hot, which will make our liver "unhealthy". They will reduce liver function, making it impossible for the liver to excrete fats, making them accumulate, making the disease worse.
3.6. Stay away from stimulants such as alcohol, beer, alcoholic beverages This is a taboo food group for people with fatty liver. Drinking alcohol will promote the transition from fatty liver to cirrhosis and even liver cancer. The elimination of fat and toxic substances from alcohol creates a great burden on the liver.
When sick, but the patient continues to drink alcohol, beer will make the process of moving to cirrhosis and liver cancer much faster. At the same time, when drinking beer, the liver has to work harder to eliminate toxic substances in alcohol from the body. Patients should especially abstain from alcohol so that the treatment can get the best results.
In addition to building a scientific and reasonable diet, patients need to increase sports activities to improve resistance and increase metabolism of liver cells. Patients need to do reasonable exercise to keep their weight at a standard level. Experts recommend about 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day, walking or biking. For people who want to lose weight, they need to exercise from 60-90 minutes/day.
In addition, patients with infectious liver disease should go to the hospital for periodic health checks, and pay attention to liver enzyme tests and tests to evaluate liver function to detect and promptly handle complications caused by the liver. caused by obesity.