Fat piled up on the stomach not only affects the figure, but also may come with a "fatty liver". In the human body, the liver is the main organ that synthesizes, transports and metabolizes fat, but it does not store large amounts of fat. Once fat accumulates in the liver, it not only damages liver function, triggers a series of metabolic disorders, but also increases the risk of liver cancer.
After the liver becomes fat, it is not something that can be changed by simply eating less and moving more, but requires scientific intervention and treatment.
Your liver is "gaining weight"
The liver tissue of a normal person contains a small amount of fat, and its weight is about 3%~5% of the liver weight. Fatty liver occurs when fat accumulates excessively in liver cells. According to the proportion of intrahepatic fat in the total liver, it can be divided into:1
normal liver: less than 5%;
Mild fatty liver: 5%~10%;
Moderate fatty liver: 10%~25%;
Severe fatty liver disease: greater than 25%.
1 in 3 people suffer from fatty liver disease
According to the "Guidelines for the Treatment of Fatty Liver in China (Popular Science Edition)", about 1 in 3 adults around us suffers from fatty liver, and its incidence rate has ranked first in liver disease.
Being young is no longer a shield for fatty liver. Taking Beijing as an example, the "2024 Beijing Physical Examination Population Sampling Health Report" shows that more than half of Beijingers aged 30 and above have fat "grown" on the liver.
Who is at risk of fatty liver disease?
On the whole, patients with various metabolic syndromes are high-risk groups of fatty liver, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc. 2
Obese people
After the fat is synthesized in the liver, it carries the apolipoprotein into the bloodstream as a "transport vehicle", where it is eventually stored in fat cells. Obese people have too much body fat, and apolipoprotein cannot send a large amount of fat out in time, which will form fatty liver.
A study involving 15.8 million adults published in the Journal of Diabetic Obesity and Metabolism in 2023 showed that the detection rate of fatty liver disease was as high as 81.8% in obese people. 3
Diabetics
Data shows that up to 70% of people with type 2 diabetes have fatty liver. 4 Patients with fatty liver disease also have an increased chance of developing diabetes.
People with high blood lipids
Due to abnormal lipid metabolism, people with high blood lipids are more likely to develop fatty liver. Studies have shown that the probability of fatty liver in patients with hyperlipidemia is 27%~92%. 5
In addition, people with nutritional imbalance, rapid weight loss, and frequent alcohol consumption also need to be vigilant against fatty liver.
Fatty liver is only 4 steps away from liver cancer
After the liver grows fat, liver cells can experience chronic inflammation. If left untreated, the risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer will increase.
Some experts pointed out that the probability of fatty liver patients complicated by liver cirrhosis and liver cancer is 150 times that of normal people. Even mild fatty liver disease increases the risk of death by 71%. 6
Fatty liver is just 4 steps away from liver cancer:7
Simple fatty liver disease
The liver is fat, but there is no inflammation yet, and there is usually no significant discomfort, which is usually detected by ultrasound during physical examination.
Steatohepatitis
Hepatocytes resist inflammation and fall into a vicious circle of "inflammation-repair-inflammation", and may or may not be symptomatic.
Liver fibrosis
The fibrous tissue in the liver proliferates and gradually thickens and hardens, and there may be discomfort such as fatigue and swelling pain.
Liver sclerosis
Liver tissue has been destroyed and is irreversible.
hepatocarcinoma
In cancer families, liver cancer is often found to be at an advanced stage.
It's time for your internal organs to lose fat
The liver really can't afford to be fat! Once fatty liver appears, it often indicates that the body has other metabolic abnormalities, and the probability of hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance is higher than that of normal people.
In addition, the liver is a silent organ, with only 30% of liver function to keep the body functioning, and significant discomfort may have missed the opportunity to intervene. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to obesity and fatty liver, and not to take it seriously because there are no symptoms.
Control your waistline
The Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Overweight and Obesity in Chinese Adults recommend that the body mass index {BMI = weight (kg)/height (m) squared} should be controlled below 24; At the same time, it is better to have a waist circumference of no more than 85 cm for men and 80 cm for women.
Scientific diet
Adopt an appropriate diet to control the total amount of food you eat, such as:
▪ The staple food is mainly whole grains, and the intake of coarse grains and refined white rice noodles should be increased appropriately.
▪ Try to eat enough vegetables and half a catty of fruits every day;
▪ Choose low-fat, high-quality protein-rich ingredients, such as lean meat, skinless chicken breast, fish and shrimp, etc.;
▪ The weight loss should not be too fast, and the reasonable weight loss rate is 2~4 kg per month;
▪ Try not to drink alcohol.
Keep moving
It is recommended that adults get 30 minutes of moderate-intensity or higher physical activity per day, with a cumulative total of at least 150 minutes per week.
Do not shy away from medical treatment, and actively seek medical treatment
People who do not respond to lifestyle interventions can go to the bariatric clinic or endocrinology clinic of the hospital and take medication or surgery if necessary.
At present, the research and development of related drugs at home and abroad is very hot. Recently, a blockbuster study announced at the 84th American Diabetes Association Scientific Annual Meeting showed that the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R)/glucagon receptor (GCGR) dual agonist Masdotide not only showed good weight loss effects, but also showed that it can significantly reduce liver fat content, with an average reduction of 80.2% from baseline.
Maximotide can stimulate both GLP-1R and GCGR - by activating GLP-1R to suppress appetite and delay gastric emptying, thereby achieving the effect of weight loss, while stimulating GCGR to increase energy expenditure and enhance weight loss. In particular, it can also promote fatty acid oxidation and lipolysis through the activation of liver GCGR, and improve liver fat metabolism.
GLP-1 drugs were originally used to lower blood sugar, and at the same time, it also has a weight loss effect, which can help reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Recent studies have also found that the use of GLP-1 drugs in patients with diabetes can reduce the incidence of severe kidney damage.
In short, liver fat is like boiling a frog in warm water, destroying the liver step by step. Actively adjust your lifestyle, seek medical intervention in a timely manner, and take advantage of everything.
Bibliography:
1. Zhang Yuanyuan. Clinical effect and nursing of liver disease treatment device in the treatment of fatty liver[J]. Chinese Medicine Guide, 2021, 19(19): 172-173.
2. Fatty Liver and Alcoholic Liver Disease Group of Chinese Society of Hepatology, Chinese Medical Doctor Association Fatty Liver Disease Expert Committee, Fan Jiangao, et al. Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (2018 updated version)[J]. Practical Journal of Hepatology, 2018, 21(02):30-39.
3.Chen K, Shen Z, Gu W, et al. Prevalence of obesity and associated complications in China: A cross-sectional, real-world study in 15.8 million adults[J]. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2023 Nov; 25(11):3390-3399. doi: 10.1111/dom.15238. Epub 2023 Aug 17. PMID: 37589256.
4.Lomonaco R,Godinez Leiva E,Bril F,Shrestha S,et al. Advanced Liver Fibrosis Is Common in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Followed in the Outpatient Setting:The Need for Systematic Screening.Diabetes Care.2020 Dec 21:dc201997.doi:10.2337/dc20-1997.
5. Fatty Liver and Alcoholic Liver Disease Group, Chinese Society of Hepatology. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease[J]. Chinese Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, 2010, 2(1): 15-19.
6.Tilg H, Targher G. NAFLD-related mortality: simple hepatic steatosis is not as 'benign' as thought. Gut. 2020 Oct 19. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2020-323188.
7. Ge Junbo, Xu Yongjian, Wang Chen. Internal Medicine[M]. 9th Edition. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 2018.
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