One out of four people suffers from fatty liver. But still, many of us are oblivion of this disease called fatty liver which is also known as hepatic steatosis. It is caused by fat accumulation in the liver which affects the functions of the liver leading to some major liver infections and diseases like hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Let’s get into the detail about how and why this happens but before we proceed further, we should know about the liver and its functions.

What is the role of the liver in our body?

The liver is the largest vital internal organ of the human body. It plays an important role in the functioning of our body as it manages many bio-chemical conversions necessary for proper body performance. Some important functions of the liver are:

• vIt produces many necessary chemicals in the body.
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• vIt produces bile that is responsible for breaking and detoxification of the chemicals and substances present in the body.
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• vIt performs the process of protein synthesis, which is responsible for factors like blood clotting and maintaining fluids in the body.
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• vIt is eminent in the production of cholesterol and some other proteins.
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• vIt acts as a body detoxifier by “bio-transformation”, a process of transformation of one chemical into another

·       It converts the ammonia that is toxic into urea- a non-toxic chemical that is the end product of the metabolism.

What are the possible liver diseases and dysfunctions?

If there is any kind of disturbance in the functioning of the liver, it may lead to major life-threatening diseases.

ØJaundice: It is a symptom of hepatitis, which is caused by the buildup of waste material named bilirubin which is found in blood. A yellowish tinge to the skin and the whites of the eye can be seen in the person who is suffering from jaundice.

ØHyperammonemia: Imbalance in the urea cycle may lead to a high level of ammonia in the blood and this condition is known as Hyperammonemia

ØLiver cirrhosis: It is a condition when liver cells die and leads to scarring in the liver also called fibrosis which happens because of chronic alcoholism and hepatitis.

ØHepatic encephalopathy: It is a neurological disorder that is caused by Hyperammonemia.  

Fatty liver: A condition when too much fat builds up in liver cells, which leads to oxidation of cells that may result in major problems as it not only affects the liver but also affects the heart. Let’s know about it in detail:

Fatty liver is of 2 types- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) and Alcoholic fatty liver disease and its severe version is called Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In NASH liver gets swollen which can lead to liver cancer and heart disease.

What are the causes of fatty liver?

Alcoholic fatty liver is caused by excess intake of alcohol but when it comes to NAFALD it’s quite unclear why it happens. But the people who suffer from it are prone to:

·       Obesity: It is a complex disease where a person’s weight is much higher in respect to his/her height. Obesity is associated with many diseases along with fatty liver. As per estimation, it is seen that 30- 90% of people having obesity suffer from NAFLD.

·       High BP: Also known as hypertension is a health condition when one’s blood pressure rises to an abnormal level which can cause other major health problems.

·       Type 2 diabetes: Diabetes is a chronic situation in which sugar and glucose levels in the blood rise. People with type 2 diabetes become insulin-resistant.

·       High cholesterol and triglycerides: Cholesterol and triglycerides both are produced in the liver and they are necessary for the functioning of the body but an increase in their levels may lead to stroke.

All these diseases are interrelated as they all have one thing in common which is fat which is the main cause of the fatty liver.

Symptoms and diagnosis:

• ·       Tiredness and weakness
• ·       Rise in insulin level
• ·       Rise in triglyceride level
• ·       Increase in the levels of liver enzymes
• ·       Minor abdominal pain

If fatty liver reaches the stage of NASH

• ·       Lack of appetite
• ·       Nausea and vomiting
• ·       Yellowness in the whites of the eyes and skin
• ·       Tolerable to intolerable abdominal pain

There are various kinds of diagnosis for fatty liver as it is sometimes symptomatic and sometimes asymptomatic:

• ·      Physical examination: BMI stands for Body Mass Index is the calculation of the body concerning height and weight with this there are some other physical examinations like feeling the lower abdomen and checking if there is any inflammation.
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• ·       Family’s medical history: It is the analysis of family members’ health statuses if they have ever suffered from any similar disease.
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• ·  Blood tests: To examine the level of liver enzymes doctors may ask for tests like alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase.
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• ·    Imaging examination: To get a clear view of the problem and check if there is an increase in body fat they may do these examinations which include ultrasound, CT scan and MRI.
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• ·       Liver biopsy: In liver biopsy a needle is inserted in the liver and the doctor takes a piece of liver tissue and then that tissue is examined further.

But we can avoid all this if we keep the ammonia detoxification process balanced and for the same, we can take supplements in combination with L-ornithine L-Aspartate and pancreatin. You can take Keepharma’s BioHep which is equipped with the same. Bio depicts the enzymes that are already present in the body while Hep indicates the liver. In short, BioHep can balance these enzymes and prevent many health diseases so try keeping your liver and yourself healthy.