Fatty Liver in Indians: Causes, Risks & Early Detection

India is no stranger to malnutrition, disease and unhealthy environments. The country has been at the forefront of many different diseases and disorders that have consistently lead to countless individuals falling sick on an almost daily basis. Due to the constant rise of the various diseases that plague the country, there have been many different instances where the government has set up multiple health centers in major cities that can specifically cater to various types of infections, diseases and other disorders with the best services that can be provided by the country.

However, there remains one certain disease that persists and refuses to leave the Indian population, affecting roughly 35% of the country’s citizens. This disease is known as the Fatty Liver Disease. Being extremely common in the western hemisphere, this disease has slowly yet surely crept its way into Indian soil, affecting individuals who have extreme lifestyle choices such as large amounts of alcohol consumption on a daily basis as well as gaining weight rapidly and showing sign of obesity, both of which are shooting up the amount of individuals who are suffering from Fatty Liver Disease in India. This disease can also affect any individual from a very high-class residency and community to a lower class person just living through scraps, and even healthy young children and elderly men and women are not safe from this progressive disease.

 

What is Fatty Liver Disease?

 

The Fatty Liver Disease is mainly known for the excessive amounts of fat found within the liver. Having fat in the liver is actually a very normal occurrence, but if the amount of fat present in the body somehow exceeds around 5% to even 10% of the liver’s entire bodyweight, it is then considered to be a medical emergency that must be taken care of as soon as possible.

Although the Fatty Liver Disease is considered to be a very wide spreading condition in the country, it is still somewhat difficult to track down due to how small and asymptomatic the beginning stages of the disease. As of right now, though, the moment any symptoms show up in relation to Fatty Liver Disease, the liver’s health and condition may have progressed to the point where much more serious liver issues may arise such as Cirrhosis and potentially even liver cancer.

This leads to the importance of early detection for Fatty Liver Disease much more apparent than before, leading to both the management and the reversal of such a serious health condition as soon as the disease has been found before it becomes a much bigger issue and causes much more damage than previously anticipated.
To understand liver damage markers better, you can read our article on SGOT and SGPT tests for liver health.

 

What are the 2 categories of the Fatty Liver Disease?

 

Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (AFLD)

This type of Fatty Liver Disease usually occurs whenever there are individuals who dedicate most of their daily lives to the consumption of alcohol, leading to lots of fat building up from the liver from the alcohol.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

This is the far more common variant of the disease that spreads through the country, although individuals who rarely take alcohol also fall under this category, as there is not enough alcoholic content in their body to be classified as AFLD. The people who suffer from this variant are a majority of the population suffering from Fatty Liver Disease. This is mainly due to the upbringing and lifestyle choices as well as the metabolism factors that plague the country every now and then.

 

The Rise of Fatty Liver Disease in India

 

Why 35% of the population?

There have been many studies that state around 1 in every 3 Indians are contracting some type of Fatty Liver Disease. The numbers may also fluctuate gravely depending on the number being provided in the urban and modern areas of the country, where entire cities have blown up with areas full of unhealthy eating habits and sedentary lifestyle contribute to the numbers in an overwhelming manner.

Urban Prevalence

The rates of many urban adults have been defined between 30% to 45% for contracting Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Rural Shift

The steady increase in the westernization of the diets of many rural individuals and the obsessive behavior over sedentary lifestyle have both been a very large factor for the contribution of fatty Liver Disease in the rural districts in various cities across India.

Children and Adolescents

The seemingly unstoppable rise of children and teenagers developing some form of obesity during very early stages of the childhood through the environment they grew up in, which may have led to very poor diets that have allowed them get NAFLD quite easily, and can occur to children as young as 10 years old.

 

Why is Fatty Liver Disease becoming very common in India?

 

Sedentary Lifestyles

With the amount of new technology and services that arrive in India, the percentage of individuals staying indoors have been increasing day by day, especially those who have jobs that simply require them to sit in front of technology for extended periods of time daily, relying more and more on transportation over short distances rather than walking, and even lessening the amount of physical activities done on a daily basis. It has also been proven that a lack of exercise can significantly increase the body’s chances of getting fatty liver Disease.

Unhealthy Diets

The diet of an average Indian once was primarily a very high-fiber, balanced diet that helped maintain the severe amounts of physical labor and effort exerted has now been changed to a much more high caloric, fat, as well as sugar content in the diet, which is mostly due to all the junk food and fast food that are becoming very prevalent across the country, which have led to massive increases in the consumption of chips, sugary drinks, and fast food. There have also been a much higher demand and preference for food items that are filled with carbs, such as rice, bread and maida. Eating too many sweet-foods and salty foods filled with artificial flavors are also gaining popularity across the nation. All of the consumptions of junk food and fast food have led to a much lower intake of vegetables and other food items that can actually help develop the body and improve its functionality.

Obesity and Overweight

The risk of being overweight or getting obesity gets much higher if the fat-filled area where the liver is located is covered by layers upon layers of fat, covering the abdomen and presents a whole new bunch of opportunities for the liver to receive Fatty Liver Disease. India has especially been a victim to obesity and being overweight that its citizens have witnessed a massive surge between both the adults as well as the teenagers, causing it to be a subject of grave harm to the rest of the populace moving forward.
To better understand how weight gain contributes to fatty liver, read this Hindi guide on obesity.

Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome

India has been known to contain the highest and most wide-spread number of diabetic patients in the world, often being dubbed “The Diabetic Capital of the World”. Individuals who are currently suffering from Diabetes Type-2 have been known to have strong connections to NAFLD. The symptoms that this can bring forth are major, such as insulin resistance, very high amounts of blood pressure present, unusually large amounts of cholesterol levels. These conditions make up the Metabolic Syndrome, which have also been shown and proven to increase the risks for Fatty liver Disease. Check out our Hindi blog on Diabetes in hindi to know more about this.

Genetic and Ethnic Disposition

The has been studies done abroad that state South Asians, specifically Indians, have been able to accumulate fats at a much quicker pace than the rest with much more quantity of fat found in the liver than most other countries in Asia. This also occurs whenever there has been a very minimal gain of body weight in the individual. All of these points make the Indians a lot more susceptible to getting Fatty Liver Disease.

Lack of Sleep and Stress

With the amount of amenities that modern lifestyle possess, it can be quite disorienting to have a proper plan of action to be performing every day, causing very unnecessary amounts of stress to the body. It can also affect how much you can properly sleep during the night as well as upsetting the sleeping pattern you might have set for yourself. There are also certain cases where the anxiety of an individual exceeds their limit and leads to a lot of the liver’s metabolism being influenced by the external forces, which indirectly causes a lot of fat build-up in the liver itself.

 

Why is the early detection of a Fatty Liver Crucial?

 

Fatty Liver Disease always has a demeanor of being benign all of the time. This is mostly due the amount of progress it might have made if it has been left undetected or untreated at the correct time. During this time, it may have been able to get through one of the four stages in relation to the severity of the situation you liver might be in.

Simple Fatty Liver (Steatosis)

This is the first stage of Fatty Liver Disease, and it mainly creates a lot of excess fat that spreads out throughout the organ itself, and it has no indications of damage or inflammation in the liver.

Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)

The next stage is a significant step up, with the liver now being full of fat as well as inflammatory conditions found in the liver as well as complete liver cell damage.

Fibrosis

The stage after NASH is where a lot of the serious issues and problems related to the liver take place, such as violent scarring of the tissues, which is known as Fibrosis. This can cause serious amounts of pain in the abdominal area and requires immediate medical assistance.

Cirrhosis

The final stage is often the stage to look out for the most, mainly due to the immense pain caused by scarring across the entire liver, which creates fissures permanently across the sides of the liver itself. This in turn has been shown to deliver drastic consequences leading to potential liver failure and liver cancer.

 

What are the Key Reasons Required to Detect Fatty Liver Early?

 

No Symptoms found initially

There are plenty of people who do not know they are suffering from Fatty Liver Disease until and unless they consult a doctor regarding its potential being in the body as well as getting an ultrasound in order to find any issue regarding the liver’s functionality. The obvious symptoms only start to arrive at a much later stage.

It is reversible in the earlier stages

Luckily, many cases where the Fatty Liver Disease is found in the body are during the Simple Fatty Liver stage, where it can be completely altered simply due to the amount of lifestyle choices that can be applied for bettering the state of the liver. But, in case the liver itself goes too far into secondary stages, it would be more and more difficult to revert it back to its original and healthy self.

It is Much Better to Treat the Liver Earlier

In case the Fatty Liver Disease shows signs of heavy progression into the next stage, the bills for the tests required for testing the liver’s current performance massively increase as well. Therefore, try and get the liver’s treatment before it gets any more serious.

Looking for natural ways to support your liver? This Hindi blog on Apple Cider Vinegar might interest you.

 

How to detect a Fatty Liver Disease early?

 

Routine Health Screening

To know in detail the condition of your liver, always ensure you have a trusted and professional healthcare center for checkups on the liver, especially if you are overweight, diabetic and are high on cholesterol. Since fatty liver is often linked with high cholesterol, this article on cholesterol in hindi offers helpful insights.

Liver Function Tests (LFTs)

These tests utilizes the enzymes located in your liver, Alt and AST, in order to figure out if the liver itself has received any inflammation or damage, even though earlier stages have had a lot less signs.

Fibro Scan or Elastography

Fibro Scans take samples of the liver to check its stiffness, which can indicate what levels of Fibrosis it might be in. In most cases, it can be a lot more helpful and detailed than an ultrasound, and gives a much better idea of the Fatty Liver Disease’s stage.

 

Conclusion

The liver has always been a very underrated organ in the body. A lot of individuals overlook everything it can do and achieve because of where it is placed in the body. But do not let its placement fool you into thinking it is not important for the betterment of the body’s functionality. With its ability to perform a whopping 500 bodily functions simultaneously, it is one of the most hard-working organs in the body.

It is mainly responsible for detoxifying your blood before being sent to the body, absorbing fats into energy for the body to use and even keeping essential nutrients that the body might requires some time later. It is required now more than ever for individuals who are suffering liver issues to take care of their health by going to a doctor in order to have a much healthier life! Early detection of fatty liver is possible through regular checkups. Learn about full body checkup in this Hindi blog.

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