What does the liver do? The liver plays 5 major roles. 1. It acts like a chemical processing plant that processes nutrients from the food we eat. 2. It acts like a waste removal plant for non-soluble waste like hydrocarbons from the blood. 3. It acts like a chemical production plant that produces chemicals used to digest fat. 4. It acts like a warehouse for fuel storage by mopping up sugar, fat and proteins from the blood breaks them into usable components and turning any excess of these chemicals into fat for storage 5. It acts like a gatekeeper by being the first port of call for all substances absorbed by the intestine and processes all of them before they enter the general blood circulation What is fatty liver? In fatty liver disease, there individual liver cells accumulate excessive amount of fat inside the cell, displacing other components of the cell and making them malfunction. This is called Metabolic Dysfunction. What are the consequences of this dysfunction? All the 5 functions malfunction with the following consequences. 1. nutrients are not processed efficiently so all cells are undersupplied and therefore underperform 2. hydrocarbon waste piles up in the blood 3. fat digestion falls short 4. mopping up of excess sugar, excess protein and excess fat falls short leading to high blood sugar (diabetes), and high cholesterol levels in the blood 5. gateway functions are disturbed thus allowing substances into the blood that previously would have been blocked or processed before entry. How can fatty liver be avoided? To avoid fatty liver, focus on maintaining a healthy weight, eating a low carb, low fat diet with more vegetables and fruits, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol, and managing chronic conditions like diabetes and high cholesterol. How do doctors diagnose fatty liver? The simple tests that can be used to detect fatty liver include. 1. ultrasound of liver shows a whiter liver with difficulty seeing the blood vessels. 2. high liver function tests What medications can be used for reversing fatty liver? 1. ozempic 2. vitamin E 3. metformin 4. pioglitazone

Disclaimer & Credit: All medical articles including ours, are informative and provide population trends not specific to individuals which can be very different. Always seek personalized medical advice from your doctor for individual healthcare decisions.

Posted May 2, 2025