In recent years, the prevalence of fatty liver has quietly surpassed that of hepatitis B, ranking as the most common chronic liver disease worldwide. In the United States, approximately 10% to 46% of the population has fatty liver, and it is often the leading cause of abnormal liver function enzymology on health physicals.
The liver stores fat, which, if deposited in excess, will inevitably affect the normal functioning of various functions and cause a variety of diseases
Excess energy in the body is usually stored in the form of fat, and besides adipose tissue, the liver is the most important fat storage organ.
Normal people have a small amount of fat in their liver, but when there is excessive fat deposition, it can cause a fatty liver.
Fatty liver, medically known as Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), covers a range of liver diseases from simple hepatic steatosis (Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver, NAFL) to steatohepatitis (Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), to cirrhosis.
Theoretically, hepatic steatosis refers to fat deposits only in the liver that have not yet caused significant inflammation, whereas steatohepatitis is fat deposits that also cause significant inflammation in the liver. If the further progression of inflammation is not stopped in time, it may progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, or even liver cancer.
According to statistics, about 20% of fatty liver eventually progresses to cirrhosis.
Fatty liver does not have obvious symptoms, do not ignore during physical examination
The exact pathogenesis of fatty liver is not clear, but it is closely related to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. It can occur at all ages, and is especially common in obese individuals between the ages of 40 and 50 years old and in those with diabetes mellitus.
Patients with fatty liver often have no obvious signs and symptoms, and the vast majority are detected by blood sampling or during abdominal imaging. In a few patients, fatigue, vague pain in the right upper abdomen, and liver enlargement may be manifested. When fatty liver progresses to cirrhosis, it may further manifest as advanced manifestations such as abdominal distention (ascites), splenomegaly, gynecomastia, esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Therefore, it is important to pay sufficient attention and be alert to those who have fatty liver detected during routine physical examinations.
5 ways to prevent and treat fatty liver
1.Weight loss and change of lifestyle habits
In patients who are overweight or obese, a general weight loss of 5% to 10% of body weight can help delay or reverse fatty liver.
In general, it is recommended to adjust the structure of the diet, maintain a healthy weight and strengthen the exercise.
2.Patients with fatty liver should strictly abstain from alcohol
3.Vaccination
Patients without immunity to hepatitis A or B should be vaccinated to prevent infection with these diseases; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends pneumococcal vaccination for patients with fatty liver disease.
4.Medication
There are no specific medications to treat or prevent fatty liver. High doses of vitamin E theoretically have antioxidant effects, reducing inflammation in the liver as well as preventing further damage. However, studies have actually found that long-term use of high doses of vitamin E can increase the incidence of prostate cancer in men and increase mortality, so it is important to weigh the pros and cons carefully.
5.Edible apricot mushroom
Mushrooms are generally known as the “steak of the vegetarian world” because of their high protein content, and the taste of the Abalone mushroom is comparable to that of meat and is easy to taste, making it the “abalone of the vegetarian world”. They are rich in protein, dietary fiber, minerals such as potassium and phosphorus, vitamins A, B-complex, C and E, and many fatty acids. In addition, it contains 18 kinds of amino acids, including 8 essential amino acids such as ionic acid and valeric acid, making it a kind of edible mushroom with high nutritional and health value.
The benefits of apricot mushrooms for the human body are as follows:
- Regulating blood pressure and lowering cholesterol. The apricot mushroom is very rich in potassium, containing 272mg of potassium ions per 100g, which is useful for regulating blood pressure when used in soup.
- Improve fatty liver and protect the liver. Abalone mushroom is rich in polysaccharides with various biological activities, which can lower blood lipids, prevent and improve fatty liver, and protect the liver.
- Promote intestinal digestion. The high fiber of Abalone mushroom can promote intestinal peristalsis, help digestion, shorten the residence time of feces in the intestinal tract and improve poor bowel movement.
- Helps to lose weight. The high fiber, high protein, low fat and low calorie content of apricot mushroom makes it a great food for weight loss.
- Anti-cancer. The polysaccharides in Abalone mushroom have the effect of inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells, enhancing the activity of lymphocytes, strengthening the body’s immune mechanism, and reducing the production of free radicals in the body.
- Refreshing and brain-boosting. Mushrooms are a rich source of vitamin B complex, and apricot mushroom is no exception. Especially for stressful working people, eating more mushrooms has a refreshing and brain-boosting effect.
How to select apricot mushrooms?
Fresh apricot mushroom with white stalk color, fat and elastic flesh of umbrella and stalk, dry to touch but not dry, and smells with a light almond fragrance. Such apricot mushrooms are versatile in cooking and can be used as a meat substitute, whether boiled, stir-fried, pan-fried, roasted or deep-fried, the taste is very good.
When storing apricot mushrooms, be careful not to let the surface get wet. Wrap dry apricot mushrooms in clean paper and refrigerate for up to a week.
The following two groups of people should not eat apricot mushrooms.
● Gout patients. Apricot mushroom is high in pringles, which are metabolized into uric acid by the liver. Patients with gout should eat them in small amounts, especially during gout attacks.
● Kidney patients. It is also not suitable for kidney patients because of its high potassium content.
Fatty liver disease may seem common, but it is not a small danger. The detection of fatty liver in physical examinations often does not only represent an independent disease, but often obesity, hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia together as a manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, so I remind you to “beware of fatty liver”.