Why Can You Still Get Fatty Liver by Eating and Drinking Less
Patients with fatty liver often eat too much and too well, and a low-carbohydrate, low-fat diet can indeed help with weight loss and aid in the prevention and treatment of fatty liver in obese individuals. However, the causes of fatty liver are varied, and it is not uncommon for people who "eat and drink less" to still develop fatty liver. The possible reasons for this are as follows:
1. Although they persist in dieting, due to a lack of exercise, the daily caloric intake still has a surplus compared to their physical energy expenditure. Or, if intake and expenditure are basically balanced, it is impossible to mobilize large existing fat reserves. As a result, their body weight and abdominal fat show no significant change, meaning their fatty liver is still related to obesity.
2. Excessive dietary restriction leads to malnutrition and a rapid weight loss in a short period. On one hand, a large amount of fatty acids enter the liver from adipose tissue, causing an increase in liver fat synthesis. On the other hand, the accompanying lack of essential nutrients can cause an impairment in the excretion of fat from the liver, resulting in fat deposition in the liver.
3. Irregular eating habits and an unreasonable dietary structure, such as skipping breakfast, having a preference for snacks, sweets, and sugary drinks, often eating late-night meals, excessive alcohol consumption, or replacing meals with fruit, can also induce and exacerbate fatty liver by causing metabolic disorders. Of course, in addition to caloric surplus and malnutrition, certain medications, thyroid diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, hepatitis C, and others can also lead to fatty liver.