subject: Liver Disease - How a Liver Disease Diet Can help [print this page] Liver Disease - How a Liver Disease Diet Can help
The Liver Disease Diet
Liver Disease is the term for a group of diseases that affect the liver function, these include, hepatitis, steatosis, fatty, and alcoholic liver disease. The liver is responsible for the metabolism of food as well as creating proteins and helping with blood flow. Fatty Liver Disease is the build up of fat cells in and around the liver. This build up of fat can result in liver failure if it worsens to scarring of the liver and the liver tissue is damaged severely.
Approximately 20% of Americans have liver disease to some extent, research shows a significant increase in cases of liver disease over the last decade. The majority of cases show excess fat in the liver, this in itself can be harmless and have no affect on the patient. However if the disease continues to deteriorate and additional fats build up in the liver this can result in the liver becomming inflammed.
It is hard to pinpoint 1 direct cause of fatty liver disease, however there are a number of reasons people get liver disease, these are:
Bad Genes: There are genetic ties to liver disease and if it is in your family history you are more likely to suffer from the disease.
Lack of Excercise: The increase of liver disease has been found to be a result of the reduction in physical activity people now participate in. As the world moves indoors and away from the outdoors.
Poor Nutrition: Poor nutrition is known to cause damage to the liver.
Most medical practitions will recommend a liver disease diet to prevent further damage to the liver. A healthy nutritional diet that is low in certain types of foods such as those high in sodium can prevent further damage.
Liver Disease symptoms include bloating, frequent urination, yellowing of the skin, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, tiredness, and confusion. Symptoms of fatty liver disease are rarely noticable in the early stages of the disease and most cases aren't diagnosed until the later stages of the disease. It is not until the Liver fibrosis (Scar tissue growing on the liver) and cirrhosis occurs that the symtpoms become obvious.
