Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a distinct hepatic condition and one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease globally
Mr Ganguly is a 42 year executive working in an MNC in Bandra. He regularly gets his annual health check up done, and each time for the last two years, his ultrasound (USG abdomen) reports showed ‘fatty infiltration of liver’ . He is not alone, most of his colleagues – male or female- have the same predicament. While many of his colleagues are obese , Mr Ganguly is not – which makes his case all the more curious.
Welcome to the world of “lean non alcoholic fatty liver” or patients with fatty livers despite being non obese. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a distinct hepatic condition and one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease globally. Prevalence of the disease is estimated to be around 9-32% in the general Indian population, with a higher incidence rate amongst obese and diabetic patients. A 2013 study in the Journal of Association of Physicians of India found an overall prevalence of NAFLD in Indians with Type II diabetes was found to be 56.5%. Mr Ganguly is not diabetic either.
A fatty liver epidemic is currently sweeping across the world paralleling the obesity epidemic. Refined carbohydrate based diets, fast and processed food , sedentary lifestyle have contributed to this. So much so that fatty liver disease is all set to overtake alcohol induced liver disease in the future as the most common cause of cirrhosis of liver or end stage liver disease requiring liver transplants.
Most people with fatty liver tend to be obese, have hypertension and increased risk of heart disease; recent research has also found increased chances of liver cancer and colon cancer in individuals with fatty liver.
That brings us back to Mr Ganguly’s situation He doesn’t eat junk food, he is not obese , yet he has a high grade of fatty liver. Researchers would label him as lean NAFLD, and this subset of people is increasing in numbers. Unequal distribution of body fat (more around waist and neck), hereditary factors( family history of diabetes), insulin resistance (body’s cells do not utilize insulin- the glucose burner – efficiently) all contribute to the etiology of lean NAFLD.
Sad part of Mr Ganguly’s story is that there is still no effective drug to treat fatty liver- though vitamin E has been shown to produce significant benefits.
Last but not the least – the good news. The situation is reversible. Losing 5-10% of body weight and exercise can reduce fatty liver significantly. Sadly that’s too much effort for most of Mr Ganguly’s ilk who are too busy or too used to the sedentary lifestyle.
What about you?
