Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatment

Alcoholic fatty liver disease not unlike other forms of fatty liver is reversible. When the cause of fatty liver is alcohol, it is more likely to develop into cirrhosis and cancer, so it is very important to reverse it and prevent it from haunting you again.
Alcohol damages your liver cells by overloading them with work. When that happens fat accumulates inside them because they can't handle taking care of both fat and alcohol (fatty liver, or steatosis stage). As more fat accumulates, less damage the liver can endure and cells start to die and be replaced by fibrotic tissue (cirrhosis stage). Fibrotic tissue does not function and leads to chronic liver failure. Damage to the liver also increases the probability of developing cancer.
But even when you already have alcoholic fatty liver disease, treatment is possible. The first step is, of course, reducing alcohol intake or, better yet, remove it completely. Alcohol not only damages your liver directly, but it is causes malabsorption of nutrients essential for liver recovery.
The next step is adjusting your diet. Make sure you eat a balanced diet and, if at all possible, become vegetarian. Meat, fish, eggs, and milk put extra load on the liver, which you want to avoid. On the other hand, fruit, vegetables, grains, and beans are rich in nutrients and poor in calories, providing the nutrients necessary for liver regeneration while keeping calories low to signal the liver to burn the fat inside it.
Finally, one last step is taking supplements. A few herbs have been proven to cause liver regeneration and fight liver cancer, and they have healed people with steatosis, cirrhosis and even liver cancer. The most important of these are milk thistle, and artichoke, but the list is very long. You can either try to take one supplement of each or, better yet, use one of the many combinations available.
Alcoholic fatty liver disease treatment is one of the best steps you can take towards health. It is beneficial for everyone who takes, or took, alcohol, because even moderate amount have been shown to cause some degree of liver damage.

By Miguel Oliveira

Fatty Liver Treatment - 5 Fat Reducing Remedies For Your Liver

Fatty liver treatment is a topic of much debate. It's commonly accepted that there is no "cure" for fatty liver, but the best way to treat the disease is still open to opinion.
Various treatments and remedies continue to be tested, and some are showing positive results. Until science proves otherwise, fatty liver disease (FLD) will continue to be a rather asymptomatic disease in its early stages that can turn lethal in the form of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure if not kept in check.
Here are 5 fat reducing remedies commonly used to treat excess fat in the liver.
Epsom Salts
Epsom salts are sometimes recommended as a type of "liver flush" aimed at removing fats and toxins from liver tissues. Epsom salts work by solidifying cholesterol into small stones that are then excreted. This treatment can be done at home although some patients experience discomfort during excretion and occasionally feel sick afterward.
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle is a herb containing silymarin which is a liver-friendly compound with excellent antioxidant properties. Milk thistle treatment aims at protecting the liver from damage and toxins and also assists in regenerating damaged hepatocytes (liver cells). It keeps the liver healthy so the liver can better deal with conditions like fatty liver and cirrhosis.
Vitamin E and Vitamin C
The third liver remedy is vitamin E and vitamin C supplements. Much like silymarin in milk thistle, these serve as antioxidants to protect the liver from damage and deterioration.
Prescription Drugs
A wide variety of drugs have been prescribed as ways to treat fatty liver. They generally aim at combating problems resulting from a damaged liver. These include drugs like:

• Orlistat
• Metformin
• Rosiglitazone
• Pioglitazone
• Gemfibrozil
• Atorvastatin
• Pravastatin

Diet And Exercise
By far the most common and widely accepted treatment for reducing fat in the liver is proper diet and exercise. This remedy also still has the most positive results for improving and sometimes even reversing the condition.

Diet Plan For Fatty Liver - 8 Rules To Follow To Reverse FLD

A diet plan for fatty liver should be holistic in its approach to not only improve liver health, but also the overall health of the human body. Everything you consume, good or bad, finds its way through the liver before being distributed to other areas of the body. Performing more than 200 functions, the liver is a critical organ, and a healthy liver generally corresponds to a healthy body.

Fatty liver disease (FLD) results when triglyceride fat makes up more than 5-10% of the liver by weight. Fat accumulates in and around the liver cells (hepatocytes) which causes the liver to become enlarged and heavier. When this happens, some patients complain about abdominal pain and discomfort and the sensation of feeling "stuffed" in their lower torso area on the right side of the body.

For the most part, fatty liver in its earliest stages (simple steatosis) is an asymptomatic condition. Many patients are unaware the condition exists until it worsens. When this happens, symptoms may include weakness and tiredness, nausea, anorexia, confusion, abdominal pain, and jaundice. If not remedied through diet and exercise, FLD can progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer and can become fatal.

A fatty liver cure does not exist. However, this does not mean the condition cannot be treated, slowed, or even reversed. Although alternative treatment methods such as using vitamin C and E, Epsom salts, milk thistle, and a variety of different drugs do exist and are gaining popularity in some medical circles, proper diet and exercise still remains the best way to combat FLD.

The best diets for fatty liver patients follow a few key principles. Here is a quick breakdown that can help you if you have alcoholic or non alcoholic FLD.

• Focus on foods high in complex carbohydrates such as brown rice and whole grains.
• Reduce your consumption of refined and simple carbohydrates like those found in sugar, white bread, egg noodles, cakes, and many desserts.
• Eat plenty of servings of fruits and vegetables every single day. A quick tip: Raw vegetable juices can be extremely healthy for the liver.
• Stay away from deep fried, fatty, and processed foods, especially processed meats such as sausage and hot dogs.
• Reduce and limit your consumption of dairy products. When consuming dairy focus on organic yogurts and ricotta and/or cottage cheese. You can also opt for soy and rice milks instead of whole or 2% milks.
• Margarine, excessive consumption of fatty condiments like salad dressing, sugary fruit juices, energy drinks, and alcohol should all be avoided.
• Focus on lean white meats such as chicken or turkey instead of beef or pork. Free range meats are best as they don't contain harmful steroids, growth hormones, and other antibiotics.
• Drink plenty of water (at least 2 liters per day).

By D. J. Atterson