What is NAFLD?
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a condition in which excessive fat builds up in your liver but is not caused by heavy alcohol use. If left unmanaged, NAFLD can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), resulting in fatty liver with inflammation which can cause liver damage.
Risk Factors & Complications
NAFLD is one of the most common liver diseases and is highly prevalent worldwide. It tends to develop in people who are obese and diabetic. NAFLD patients usually do not develop liver complications, but are at higher risk for other health problems such as heart disease. NASH patients can develop liver complications like cirrhosis (permanent scarring and hardening of the liver) and liver cancer.
What can you do?
Early screening and diagnosis
People who have NAFLD are often overweight or obese and diabetic. Blood tests or other imaging scans such as FibroScan® and MRI are diagnostic tests that can be used to diagnose the disease.
Early treatment
NAFLD is a reversible disease meaning that you can take action to eliminate the disease. The best way for management and prevention of NAFLD is a healthy lifestyle and things you can do include:
Lose weight
Avoid saturated and trans-fat foods
Exercise regularly
Actively monitor diabetes
Avoid alcohol