Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has soared in the last three years, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. It is the term used for a range of conditions caused by a build-up of fat in the liver, and is usually seen in people who are overweight or obese.
Early-stage NAFLD does not usually cause any harm, but it can lead to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis, if it gets worse. Having high levels of fat in your liver is also associated with an increased risk of serious health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease.
If you already have diabetes, NAFLD increases your chance of developing heart problems. If detected and managed at an early stage, it's possible to stop it getting worse and reduce the amount of fat in your liver.
Symptoms of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
There are not usually any symptoms of NAFLD in the early stages. You probably will not know you have it unless it's diagnosed during tests carried out for another reason.
Occasionally, people with NASH or fibrosis (more advanced stages of NAFLD) may experience:
- a dull or aching pain in the top right of the tummy (over the lower right side of the ribs)
- extreme tiredness
- unexplained weight loss
- weakness
“More and more people are getting extra fat in their livers,” co-author Dr Theodore Friedman, an endocrinologist and professor of medicine at both the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. “It’s a disease that develops because people are eating poorly and not exercising,” he said.
“I always tell patients to eat more vegetables," the doctor continues. It’s possible that NAFLD in thin people is related to other metabolic issues, said Dr Lisa Ganjhu, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at NYU Langone Health.
“You don’t have to be obese,” Ganjhu told The Mirror, adding that thin people sometimes have high blood cholesterol levels, for example.
You're at an increased risk of NAFLD if you:
- are obese or overweight – particularly if you have a lot of fat around your waist (an "apple-like" body shape)
- have type 2 diabetes
- have a condition that affects how your body uses insulin
- are insulin resistance, such as polycystic ovary syndrome
- have an underactive thyroid
- have high blood pressure
- have high cholesterol
- have metabolic syndrome (a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity)
- are over the age of 50
- smoke
