How to get rid of an alcoholic fatty liver that causes chronic fatigue (treatment) and what doctors say about healthy drinking (liver values).

People who drink a lot of alcohol in one sitting or have a few drinks every now and then, as well as those who suffer from chronic fatigue, should definitely suspect fatty liver. Today, we will learn more about fatty liver and how to drink alcohol while avoiding alcoholic fatty liver from Professor Bae Si-hyun, head of the Digestive Center at Eunpyeong St. Mary's Hospital.

Table Of Contents

• Habits and symptoms to watch out for in alcoholic fatty liver
• Healthy vs. Fatty Liver
• What if I don't care about my fatty liver?
• How can I drink alcohol without getting alcoholic fatty liver?
• Is it okay to eat and rest a lot at once?
• What Nutrients Support the Liver?
• Is there a gender difference in alcoholic fat?
• Is it possible to treat fatty liver with folk remedies?
• What exercises help with fatty liver?
• Will it cure alcoholic fatty liver?
• Conclusion
• References
  • Article:
  • Articles and journals:

Habits and symptoms to watch out for in alcoholic fatty liver

Alcoholic fatty liver should be suspected in people who drink a little bit of alcohol every day. In addition, if you drink a lot of alcohol in one sitting or have chronic fatigue, fatty liver should be your first suspicion.

 

 

Alcoholic fatty liver is primarily caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol consumption causes triglycerides to build up in the liver cells, which are toxic to the liver and damage the liver cells. This damage creates a condition where fat accumulates in the liver cells, damaging the liver.
If this condition persists, it can lead to alcoholic hepatitis in about 20-30% of cases and cirrhosis, a hardening of the liver, in 10% of cases. So, if you have a habit of drinking a little bit of alcohol every day or a lot of alcohol in one sitting, you may have alcoholic fatty liver.
Chronic fatigue and a fatty liver go hand in hand. Your liver is your body's chemical factory, and when it's not functioning properly, it's less able to detoxify and eventually builds up toxins in your body, which can lead to a weakened immune system that makes you more susceptible to illness, including colds, and constant fatigue.

 

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Most liver damage starts with fatty liver. Fatty liver doesn't have any specific symptoms or pain, but you should suspect fatty liver if you often feel tired, have generalized weakness, loss of appetite, or pain in your upper right abdomen.

 

Healthy vs. Fatty Liver

A healthy liver is one in which no more than 5% of the total liver is fat.
Fatty liver is a condition in which the liver becomes enlarged due to the buildup of triglycerides in the liver cells. There are two main types of fatty liver: alcoholic fatty liver or non-alcoholic fatty liver caused by obesity.

Alcoholic fatty liver is a fatty liver that develops depending on how much alcohol you drink. It is said that if you drink about half a bottle of soju every day, you will get fatty liver, which is very surprising when you look at the amount.
After 10 to 15 years of drinking, the incidence of alcoholic fatty liver is 30% to 50%.

What if I don't care about my fatty liver?

지방간 환자를 보면 아래 이미지와 같이 초콜릿 색깔이 아니라 간에 노랗게 지방이 끼어있게 됩니다.

 

 

 

In addition, as fatty liver ages, it develops a rougher side to the liver, as shown below. This is the progression from chronic hepatitis to early cirrhosis.

However, most people don't realize it because there are no symptoms.

You have fatty liver, I have fatty liver, and I've been hearing about it for 20 years, so why does it matter to me now?

However, if you leave the fatty liver untreated and your lifestyle is not good for your liver, you will get cirrhosis, and with cirrhosis comes all sorts of complications, jaundice, ascites, and even bleeding from esophageal varices .

Finally, the scariest complication of all, liver cancer, can now come.

How can I drink alcohol without getting alcoholic fatty liver?

For men, think of it this way: if you drink 700C of beer every day, you'll develop an alcoholic fatty liver.

This is the amount you'd eat every day without a break, which is why we recommend eating no more than this.

 

Is it okay to eat and rest a lot at once?

A lot of people ask me if I can eat a lot and take a few days off to avoid getting fatty liver.

However, the studies are based on average amounts and it is known that eating a lot at one time and eating a little more often causes similar damage to the fatty liver.

It is generally believed that the alcohol in a 1400 CC beer takes 9-10 hours to break down, but if you drink more than this, it is important to give your liver time to break down and rest. A habit of ignoring this and drinking heavily every day can lead to chronic liver disease and rapid progression to cirrhosis. In particular, it is important to give your liver 2-3 days of rest after heavy drinking.

What Nutrients Support the Liver?

Nutritional deficiencies are common in alcoholic liver disease. Poor nutrition is associated with several complications, including ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and hepatorenal syndrome, which have a significant impact on morbidity and mortality.

 

Micronutrient deficiencies such as folate, thiamine, pyridoxine, vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, and magnesium are common in people with alcoholic liver disease. These nutrient deficiencies can accelerate the worsening of liver disease.

 

In short, getting enough nutrition is important to prevent liver damage. However, eating too many calories or too many carbohydrates can lead to fatty liver, so it's important to eat fewer high-calorie and high-carbohydrate foods.

 

Is there a gender difference in alcoholic fat?

There are many people who drink alcohol and detoxify improperly, causing their faces to break out. To prevent this from happening, there is an enzyme called "acetaldehyde dihydrogenase" that detoxifies alcohol. This enzyme is found in twice as many men as women, so if you drink the same amount of alcohol, women are much more susceptible to it, even though they drink sober.

 

Men usually have to be over 50 to develop cirrhosis of the liver and jaundice due to frequent alcohol consumption.

 

However, women often develop jaundice, bleeding varicose veins, and vomiting as early as their mid-30s or mid-40s, so it's important for women to understand that eating half as much as men can lead to similar liver damage.

 

Is it possible to treat fatty liver with folk remedies?

People with fatty liver don't have a high tolerance for things like herbs.

You can eat the same thing and absorb more toxins, but a lot of these things are simmered for months and months and months and months, and there's obviously toxic ingredients in there, so it's cumulative.

 

That's why you need to be careful with folk remedies.

What exercises help with fatty liver?

Getting enough exercise and eating right are important to prevent fatty liver. Aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming, and biking are recommended. Exercise intensity should be moderate, around 50-70% of your maximum heart rate, and should be done at least twice a week for 30-60 minutes to help with fatty liver.

 

Will it cure alcoholic fatty liver?

Treatment is important in hepatitis to prevent the liver from hardening and progressing to cirrhosis.

 

If it's just the hepatitis level that's elevated and you control it at that stage, you're cured.

 

In fact, it's hard to not drink alcohol for the rest of your life because you have a social life, but the important thing is that when you stop drinking or abstain from drinking and your blood test for hepatitis comes back normal, you're in remission.

 

With a prolonged period of such remission, even the hardened parts of the liver in chronic hepatitis and the chronic fibrotic phase resolve to normal.

 

But if you ignore it and keep drinking, you're not going to be cured when you get to cirrhosis.

 

Similarly, if you burn your skin, you'll notice that it's now scarred. In the early stages of inflammation, lotioning and treating it well will result in clear skin, but once it's fully hardened, no amount of lotioning and treating will help.

 

Then it's time for a facelift, in a way.

 

This is the same situation as if you have severe cirrhosis of the liver and get a liver transplant.

 

That's why I think you need to get sober, stay sober, and when the red flag comes, get healthy, and only then will you be able to take another break and work well for your master.

 

Conclusion

It's important to drink alcohol in small doses, and to give yourself a few days off if you drink too much.

 

By getting regular aerobic exercise, reducing your total energy intake through diet, and following a low-fructose diet with fewer carbohydrates and sweets, you can drink healthily without a fatty liver.

 

Finally, if you drink a lot of alcohol and feel fatigued, be sure to take a blood test and think about what lifestyle habits may have caused you to have a fatty liver, so that you can take care of a healthy liver by changing your diet and lifestyle one by one.

 

In the next post, we'll look at nutrients and vitamins that support a healthy liver, so be prepared for some research.

 

References

Article:

How to Treat Alcoholic Fatty Liver Symptoms at a Glance

If you drink a bottle of soju every day for 10 to 15 years...

Proper drinking habits and health management

Articles and journals:

"Analysis of Trends in TCM Research on Alcoholic Liver Disease"

"Alcoholic Liver Disease"

"Nutritional Support for Alcoholic Liver Disease"