Worrried about fatty liver? Intermittent fasting, staying away from these foods can help
When I was first studying nutrition, I learned about juvenile and adult-onset diabetes. When teens started showing up with adult-onset diabetes, the nomenclature changed to Type 1 and Type II diabetes.
When I was in school, we learned about fatty liver as a disorder that impacted heavy drinkers. With the increase in non-alcoholics with fatty liver, however, we have a new name: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
An estimated 24 percent of U.S. adults have this disorder. The conditions that put non-alcoholics at risk are obesity, high blood lipid levels and diabetes.
Foods to avoid
Studies have suggested that excessive consumption of fructose contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disorder, particularly in people with a predisposition.
This is not about enjoying fruit with naturally occurring fructose, but it’s about avoiding foods with high fructose corn syrup such as soda, juice drinks, candy, cookies, cupcakes and pastries, ice cream and ice pops, crackers, some crackers and bread, jellies, syrups and many fast food items. (Read the product’s ingredient label!)
Foods to eat
A physician can detect this condition if a routine blood test shows elevated liver enzymes. The usual dietary recommendations are a diet low in saturated fats and rich in foods with omega 3 fatty acids such as salmon, sardines and anchovies.
Broccoli, spinach, flax seeds and olive oil also are high in omega 3 fatty acids.
Reducing sugar and avoiding fructose are also recommended. Increasing vegetables, fruits and whole grains is another part of the plan.
Intermittent fasting
Recent studies have looked at intermittent fasting to help with non-alcoholic fatty liver disorder. The first study was a meta analysis of 1,304 studies on diet and this condition.
Only five of the studies looked at intermittent fasting and the results were mixed. The most recent study from this year was in Clin Gastroenterol Hepatology, where 70 patients enrolled for the 12-week study.
Half were put on a calorie-restricted diet and the other half were doing intermittent fasting on non-consecutive days. Participants ate 600 calories on fasting days and under 2,500 on non-fasting days. The weight loss between the two groups was similar.
The treatment goal was at least a 30% reduction in liver fat. In the intermittent-fasting group, 72% achieved this goal versus the calorie reduction group, where only 44% met the goal.
You might want to discuss this with your doctor or dietitian.
Sheah Rarback is a registered dietitian nutritionist in private practice in Miami, FL. srarback@hotmail.com
