Fatty liver disease is a common condition, affecting 25 percent of Americans (many of whom don’t even know it). It happens when fat builds up in your liver cells. Fatty liver disease can stem from various health factors, such as insulin resistance, an overconsumption of alcohol, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.
After receiving a fatty liver disease diagnosis, you may want to gain a better understanding of how to treat the condition (or even reverse it, since it is reversible). Your doctor might tell you which foods to limit, for example, or share other liver health tips (after all, health is about more than food). Plus, adding foods—not just limiting them—can be helpful. In the case of fatty liver disease, it’s about opting for foods that decrease fatty liver cells because yes, some do just that.
Ahead, hepatologists reveal the main thing they tell every patient with fatty liver to start eating more of—plus how much, how it helps and other foods to add to your grocery list. For what it’s worth, and perhaps surprisingly, the No. 1 food they mention isn’t a fruit or vegetable. In fact, you might dip your bread in it or use it to bake a cake.?SIGN UP for Parade’s health newsletter with expert-approved tips, healthy eats, exercises, news & more to help you stay healthy & feel your best self?
If You Have Fatty Liver Disease, Eat This 1 Thing
Believe it or not, the main thing hepatologists are begging individuals with fatty liver disease, which is also known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, to eat is extra virgin olive oil (which also has brain health benefits, by the way). It has useful compounds, such as monounsaturated fats, or “healthy” fats, and plant antioxidants called polyphenols.
“Think of extra virgin olive oil as a green light for your liver’s fat-burning machinery,” explains Dr. Hal Brindley, a Doctify-reviewed consultant hepatologist and gastroenterologist at HCA London Bridge Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust. “These compounds act like a traffic controller: They flip off the biological switches that store fat in the liver and flip on the switches that burn fat for energy.”
Related: The Cooking Oil To Avoid if You Have Fatty Liver Disease, According to Gastroenterologists
Not sure how to incorporate it more into your life? You can use it as a salad dressing, drizzle it over roasted vegetables or swap it for butter, just to name a few avenues. In other words, don’t worry: It won’t be as hard as you might think.
“Replacing butter, margarine and other saturated cooking fats with extra virgin olive oil is a simple, actionable change that can be easy to adopt for patients, and this single substitution can reduce hepatic fat independently of caloric restriction or weight loss,” adds Dr. Pradnya Mitroo, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist, hepatologist and managing partner at Fresno Digestive Health.
Dr. Brindley recommends eating one-and-a-half to two tablespoons a day, while Dr. Mitroo encourages shooting for three to four.
Related: This Is the #1 Most Important Habit for Liver Health, According to a Hepatologist
Other Helpful Foods and Drinks for MASLD
Dietary health is all about incorporating a variety of foods, so hepatologists share a few other options that can help people with fatty liver disease.
Fatty, oily fish
This type of fish comes in many forms, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel. They’re packed with omega-3 fatty acids, such as EPA and DHA.
“Omega-3 fats get built directly into the lining of your liver cells, making them more flexible and resilient,” Dr. Brindley explains. “They also lower blood levels of triglycerides (circulating fats), preventing extra fat from settling inside liver tissue.”
Dr. Mitroo adds that the omega-3s “decrease de novo fat production in the liver,” meaning they decrease the amounts of fat produced there.
Eating about four to five ounces of oily fish about two to three times a week should do the trick, hepatologists agree. You can switch up how you eat it for variety, too; for example, you could have grilled fish for your dinner entrée, or throw some fish in a salad or sandwich.
Related: The Common Supplement Hepatologists Wish People Would Stop Taking So Casually
Nuts
Nuts—especially tree nuts and walnuts—are another smart choice. They contain another omega-3 fat, ALA, according to Dr. Brindley. Plus, they have fiber that feeds the “good” bacteria in your gut.
He encourages eating a small handful every day. This could be on top of yogurt for breakfast or as a snack later in the afternoon—whatever you’re feeling.
Other helpful nuts, according to Dr. Mitroo, are almonds and pistachios. They’re a great source of “good” fat. He recalls reading studies that said eating more than three servings a week is protective against fatty liver disease.
Coffee
Yep, your morning caffeine is doing your liver a favor! Dr. Mitroo has seen studies that three cups of filtered coffee a day, without any additives, can decrease the risk of MASLD and liver fibrosis.
Dr. Brindley explains the science behind it. “When your body breaks down coffee, it produces compounds that block special cells in the liver (hepatic stellate cells) from making scar tissue,” he says. “Over time, drinking coffee helps prevent the formation of stiff, fibrous tissue (fibrosis) that leads to serious liver disease.”
Eating liver-healthy foods like these is crucial—maybe even more so than you think.
“MASLD/fatty liver disease is fast becoming a major cause of liver transplant in this country, and already the number one cause of a liver transplant in women, and it is reversible with the right dietary changes,” Dr. Mitroo says.
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Dr. Hal Brindley is a Doctify-reviewed consultant hepatologist and gastroenterologist at HCA London Bridge Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust. Dr. Pradnya Mitroo, MD, is a board-certified gastroenterologist, hepatologist and managing partner at Fresno Digestive Health. A Silent Epidemic: 25% of Americans Have Fatty Liver Disease, Lee Health Fatty liver disease (MASLD), Mayo ClinicHence then, the article about i m a hepatologist and this is the one thing i tell every patient with fatty liver to start eating was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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