No, it’s just a reflection of how our diets have changed over time. When fatty liver disease was first being categorized. It only happened in alcoholics. So fatty liver disease meant The patient was an alcoholic. However, now with high glucose-driving diets, elevated insulin levels, the vast majority of fatty liver disease patients don’t drink alcohol…
So we have this awkward naming scheme because our diets have changed faster then our language
1 large pizza, 1 jumbo tortilla chips, with bean dip and 3 beers will make you fat. Eating it all over the course of a single football game, every time your team is playing a game, will make your liver fat.
A fatty liver makes you crave MORE pizza, more tortilla chips with bean dip and more beers. Making it even fatter. Also makes YOU fatter too btw.
How often is your team playing? Surely if that is all it should be OK. Maybe not ideal but could be compensated for to still be reasonably healthy overall if you eat well the rest of the time.
The problem is when you also have beer and kebabs after work a couple nights a week too.
Persistently elevated insulin from high glucose driving diets.
Even “healthy” people end up putting glucose food into their mouths 8 or more times per day. Insulin inhibits the body from mobilizing fat, and the liver builds up fat stores it cant get rid of.
The fastest way to resolve fatty liver is to stop eating food that elevates blood glucose - i.e. carbohydrates.
It should be noted that fructose is worse than other sugars because the metabolic pathway to break it down makes the liver work hard, similar to alcohol.
This longer metabolic path also makes it take longer to metabolize than sucrose or glucose, and so raises blood sugar more gradually. Its for this reason that pure fructose is actually a low glycemic index food (GI 20 vs 22 for cashews and 35 for sunflower seeds). For this reason I actually think fructose could be a very healthy sweetener in low quantities, but the problem, at least in the US, is that its added to almost every food.
I should also say that I don’t think that glycemic index is a very good measure for various reasons that would make this comment really long if I went into them. Insulin index is much better but still not perfect IMO. Satiety value also seems really useful, since its basically a measure of how long a food makes you feel full per calorie. That doesn’t replace the insulin index, since a food can make you feel really full and still be relatively insulin provoking (potatoes for example), but its something to look at in concert.
Fun fact, Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease is now the number one cause of fatty liver disease!
So liver disease causes liver disease?
No, it’s just a reflection of how our diets have changed over time. When fatty liver disease was first being categorized. It only happened in alcoholics. So fatty liver disease meant The patient was an alcoholic. However, now with high glucose-driving diets, elevated insulin levels, the vast majority of fatty liver disease patients don’t drink alcohol…
So we have this awkward naming scheme because our diets have changed faster then our language
There are so many children with non-alcoholic fatty liver. About 10% in the US
That is tragic
counterpoint: sugar tastes good
Mmmm, tastes of cirrhosis and diabetes
1 large pizza, 1 jumbo tortilla chips, with bean dip and 3 beers will make you fat. Eating it all over the course of a single football game, every time your team is playing a game, will make your liver fat.
A fatty liver makes you crave MORE pizza, more tortilla chips with bean dip and more beers. Making it even fatter. Also makes YOU fatter too btw.
So yes. Liver disease causes liver disease.
How often is your team playing? Surely if that is all it should be OK. Maybe not ideal but could be compensated for to still be reasonably healthy overall if you eat well the rest of the time.
The problem is when you also have beer and kebabs after work a couple nights a week too.
Poor liver. I should leav’er be.
What’s the cause if not alcohol?
Persistently elevated insulin from high glucose driving diets.
Even “healthy” people end up putting glucose food into their mouths 8 or more times per day. Insulin inhibits the body from mobilizing fat, and the liver builds up fat stores it cant get rid of.
The fastest way to resolve fatty liver is to stop eating food that elevates blood glucose - i.e. carbohydrates.
It should be noted that fructose is worse than other sugars because the metabolic pathway to break it down makes the liver work hard, similar to alcohol.
This longer metabolic path also makes it take longer to metabolize than sucrose or glucose, and so raises blood sugar more gradually. Its for this reason that pure fructose is actually a low glycemic index food (GI 20 vs 22 for cashews and 35 for sunflower seeds). For this reason I actually think fructose could be a very healthy sweetener in low quantities, but the problem, at least in the US, is that its added to almost every food.
I should also say that I don’t think that glycemic index is a very good measure for various reasons that would make this comment really long if I went into them. Insulin index is much better but still not perfect IMO. Satiety value also seems really useful, since its basically a measure of how long a food makes you feel full per calorie. That doesn’t replace the insulin index, since a food can make you feel really full and still be relatively insulin provoking (potatoes for example), but its something to look at in concert.
It can be difficult because of food addiction.
addiction and just normalization!
A coffee with cream, a soda, a healthy “kombucha”, a fruit juice… all spike blood glucose, and most people simply don’t think of it as eating…
This is why I only eat fried cheese when dtunk
cheese will not elevate your blood glucose, so it is not involved in fatty liver etiology
yeah but the saturated fats in it will give you heart disease instead.
High starch diets?
Excess fat
So much fun! All the brain fog, spiking blood sugar and weight gain without the enjoyment of alcohol!
Might as well just start drinking
/s
Some days I really feel the urge yes.