What is the Duration for Reversing Fatty Liver Disease?

Reverse Fatty Liver Disease with Lifestyle Changes

Updated at March 3, 2023

Written by HealthMatch staff

As the name suggests, fatty liver disease occurs when too much fat builds up inside the liver. While it’s often linked to excessive alcohol consumption, this is not always the case. Fatty liver disease can also be linked to underlying health conditions, including diabetes or obesity.

If you have fatty liver disease, you might wonder if this condition is reversible. Unfortunately, there are no medications currently available to treat this condition. However, there are several promising lifestyle changes proven to help.

Consider Clinical Trials for Liver Disease

Have you considered clinical trials for liver disease? We make it easy for you to participate in a clinical trial for liver disease and get access to the latest treatments not yet widely available – and be a part of finding a cure.

What is Fatty Liver Disease?

When too much fat accumulates in the liver, this is known as fatty liver disease.¹ There are two types of fatty liver disease. These are:

– Alcoholic fatty liver disease (also called alcoholic steatosis). When this progresses to be associated with inflammation, this is called steatohepatitis.

– Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Alcoholic fatty liver disease is related to heavy alcohol consumption. The liver is the primary organ responsible for clearing alcohol from the body. As the liver breaks down alcohol, harmful compounds can accumulate inside it. These compounds damage the liver, causing inflammation and damage to tissues in the liver.

Alcoholic fatty liver is an early sign of alcohol-related liver disease. If you do not reduce your intake of alcohol, you could go on to develop alcoholic steatohepatitis and cirrhosis.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

NAFLD is a fatty liver disease not associated with alcohol consumption. There are two types of NAFLD: simple fatty liver and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Simple fatty liver is when your liver has minimal inflammation or cell damage. It tends to be milder, with fewer complications. In contrast, NASH causes a greater degree of inflammation and cell damage in the liver. As a result, it may result in fibrosis or scarring, which could then lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

Symptoms

All types of fatty liver disease have very few symptoms. In some cases, there might be no apparent symptoms at all. However, some symptoms you may notice are:

– Fatigue

– Abdominal discomfort

– Weight loss

– Poor appetite

– Weakness

Causes and Risk Factors

Alcoholic fatty liver is caused by excessive consumption of alcohol over a long period. However, you are more at risk of developing alcoholic fatty liver if you are a smoker, have another liver disease such as chronic viral hepatitis, or are obese.

Because alcohol is the primary cause of alcoholic fatty liver, you should cut back on alcohol as much as possible to try and reverse this condition. On the other hand, there is no apparent cause for NAFLD, but the main pathophysiology seems to stem from insulin resistance.² However, there are several risk factors that could make you more susceptible to developing it. These risk factors include:

– Obesity

– Type 2 diabetes

– High blood pressure

– High cholesterol

4 Ways to Reverse Fatty Liver Disease

Unfortunately, there is no current treatment available for fatty liver disease. However, there are plenty of lifestyle modifications that you can try.

1. Manage your weight

The most important way to reverse fatty liver disease is weight loss. Weight loss should be gradual (1–2 lbs per week), and improvements have been demonstrated in patients losing as little as 5% of total body weight. But >10% weight loss is associated with improvement in all aspects of NASH, including fibrosis.

A weight reduction diet is suitable for anyone who can’t exercise adequately. However, you should also combine a weight reduction diet with moderate exercise.

2. Avoid or limit alcohol consumption

Avoiding alcohol, or at least avoiding heavy alcohol use, is considered one of the most effective ways to reverse fatty liver disease. However, if you cannot avoid alcohol entirely, you should still make some effort to cut back as much as possible.

If you find it difficult to avoid alcohol, you could try medications such as disulfiram, acamprosate, or naltrexone.

3. Improve your diet

Introducing a range of healthy foods into your diet can help reverse fatty liver disease for many reasons. Healthy eating can improve cholesterol, reduce obesity, and help with diabetes. As mentioned