Six Easy Ways to SLASH Your Risk of Liver Disease

By Dr. Scott Olson, ND Posted March 18, 2022

Dear Living Well Daily Reader,

If statistics hold true, then 25 percent of you reading this will have a condition you don’t know you have.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) affects one-quarter of Americans… but those numbers are rising fast.

NAFLD is a disease that strikes in the dark. In fact, it’s almost symptomless until it gets very bad.

What makes everything worse is how little we talk about liver health. Most people can’t even point to where their liver is located!

But now, it’s time to turn the tide.

Today I’m going to talk about six easy ways to SLASH your risk of NAFLD.

There’s an old joke that med students all know. If you’re taking a test and you don’t know the answer, just answer “liver.”

This is because your liver does SO MUCH in your body.

It’s responsible for maintaining hormone levels, detoxification of drugs and toxins, metabolism of macronutrients (like proteins, fats, carbohydrates), enzyme activation, storage of vitamins and minerals, storage of short-term sugar, creation of blood proteins, synthesis of factors for clotting…

And so much more!

Fatty Liver Disease used to be a disease only found in alcoholics, but now a lot of people get the disease because of the increased amount of carbohydrates, sugars, and vegetable oils in your typical processed food diet.

Fatty Liver Disease occurs when the liver fills up with fat, and your liver’s processes start to break down because the fat interferes with the functioning of the liver.

In fact, the fat in the liver increases inflammation, and then that inflammation destroys liver cells, which are replaced by scarring… eventually leading to cirrhosis.

As all the functions of the liver fail, it tends to make the situation worse. In other words, fatty liver creates MORE fatty liver.

But there is a way out of this downward spiral.

• Eat more plant-based foods. To be clear, I don’t mean you should adopt a vegetarian diet. Just simply eat more vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Notice that I didn’t say “eat more fruit.” Fruit sugar (fructose) is a major contributor to fatty liver disease.
• Stay away from sugars and foods that act like sugars. Processed carbohydrates, such as white bread, crackers, and pasta quickly turn to sugar in your blood. The faster the rise of blood sugar, the more your body produces insulin. Over time, this leads to more fat creation in the liver.
• Stop soda. I know I just said to stay away from all sugar, but sodas are so bad for the liver that they deserve their own attention. Other sweetened drinks, like sports drinks, lemonade, orange juice are also culprits.
• Cut out vegetable oils. The truth is, all vegetable oils (like corn, sunflower, canola, peanut) increase inflammation throughout your body and lead to fat storage in the liver. Replace them with olive or avocado oil in your cooking.
• Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is one of the biggest ways to damage your liver. If you want to have a drink at a special event, like a wedding or birthday, that’s not going to cause you any problems. But daily alcohol consumption is going to get you into trouble as time goes on.
• Build muscle. I know this sounds like a strange way to protect your liver, but the more muscle tissue you have on your body, the better your body is able to control blood sugar metabolism. Keeping your blood sugar low, keeps the liver from producing fat.

P.S. Make your liver-protecting efforts go even further by adding this beverage to your daily routine. It could decrease your risk of liver disease by a whopping 21 percent! Find out what it is right here.

SOURCE:

Cassetty, Samantha. “Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a silent killer: 3 ways to lower your risk.” 11/5/21. https://www.today.com/today/amp/tdna237739

Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND

Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.

View More By Dr. Scott Olson, ND