Your liver serves an important function for your body. It helps filter toxins, stores glycogen and produces bile to aid in digestion. Eating fatty foods can negatively impact your liver and possibly destroy it. The liver is so important that you cannot live without it. Once liver damage becomes severe, it may be necessary to undergo a liver transplant.
Fatty Foods
Fatty foods aren't good for a number of reasons, including your liver. There are various liver diseases, one of which is fatty liver disease. Consuming too much fat in your diet can cause fat to deposit in your liver, where it is stored and can potentially cause serious damage to the organ. This type of fatty liver disease is referred to as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, as excessive alcohol drinking can cause fatty liver disease as well.
Fatty Liver Disease
Obesity and consuming high-fat foods can contribute to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The UMMC reports that with more and more children becoming obese, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has increased in children. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most prevalent liver disease among children in America, as of 2011.
Prognosis
Fatty liver disease, whether it's caused by consuming too much fat or excessive alcohol, can lead to other conditions that are more severe or devastating. Fatty liver disease can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, also referred to as NASH, and other serious conditions such as cirrhosis, liver fibrosis, hepatic failure and cancer of the liver. Your health care provider can perform multiple testing procedures, such as blood or urine testing, MRI, CT scan, abdominal ultrasound or liver biopsy, to determine the extent of liver damage caused by your fatty liver.
Symptoms and Treatment
Some key symptoms of fatty liver include pain and swelling in the upper right quadrant of your abdomen, fatigue, excess fat around your waist and upper back, constipation, and skin darkening either under your arm or at other areas where skin may touch skin, such as the crease of your inner thighs. An adjustment to your diet can help improve a fatty liver. Your health care provider may recommend consuming fewer calories, carbohydrates and fats. It is crucial that you follow the recommended diet, as eating too few carbohydrates can cause a fatty liver to worsen. Exercise, especially aerobic exercise, can help improve a fatty liver as it helps you lose weight and tone muscles. It is also important that you follow your doctor's recommended exercise plan. In severe cases of fatty liver disease, it may be necessary to take medications or undergo a liver transplant.
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