According to a story from Healio, Dr. Monica Konerman recently gave a presentation about the importance of lifestyle changes in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its rarer and more severe derivative, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The presentation was made at Digestive Disease Week 2018. In her presentation, Monica emphasizes that lifestyle changes are currently the most critical part of disease management, even more so than surgery or medication.
About Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a type of liver disease in which fat is deposited in the liver independent of excessive alcohol consumption. This disease can progress rapidly. Risk factors include metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. There also appears to be some genetic component to the disease as well. This condition also increases the risk of other health problems and liver cancer. Men also seem to be at greater risk, getting the disease as almost twice the rate that women do. Symptoms of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis include jaundice, malaise, fatigue, and abdominal pain or discomfort. Without treatment, the liver can become scarred and the patient may need a liver transplant. However, the condition can also be managed with proper diet, the use of certain medications, and exercise. To learn more about nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, click here.
Why Lifestyle Changes Can Help
In her presentation, Dr. Konerman says that more intensive interventions like medications and surgery have tended to hog the spotlight in recent years when it comes to treating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and that more doctors should encourage patients to modify their lifestyles in order to improve their condition. Monica cites research that highlights the impact of weight loss on this disease. Losing just five percent of body weight is enough to have a therapeutic effect, and at ten percent all of the disease symptoms associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis began to show meaningful improvement.
Weight loss is the key. For this disease, what you eat is less important as how much you eat. A reduction of daily caloric intake by about 30 percent is a recommended starting point to begin losing weight. With that said, a diet high in processed or red meats and high fructose corn syrup is associated with a greater risk of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Exercise, even without weight loss, can also produce meaningful benefits for patients.
