asktheNUTRITIONIST/ANSWERS TO YOUR FOOD QUESTIONS
(^40) • MAY 2019
Food Therapy
to Fight Fatty Liver
The fi rst place to start is by switching to foods and drinks
with no added sugars/// BY MELISSA DIANE SMITH
Melissa Diane
Smith is an
internationally
known journalist and
holistic nutritionist who
has more than 20 years of
clinical nutrition experience
and specializes in using
food as medicine. She is
the cutting-edge author
of Going Against GMOs,
Going Against the Grain,
and Gluten Free
Throughout the Year, and
the coauthor of Syndrome
X. To learn about her
books, long-distance
consultations, nutrition
coaching programs, or
speaking, visit her
websites:
melissadianesmith.com
and againstthegrain-
nutrition.com.
:I’ve had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) for about a year, but this is shock-
ing: My 12-year-old son and my 19-year-old son both were recently diagnosed with it!
How common is NAFLD, why does it develop, is it common for teens to have it, and are
there simple things I can do, nutritionally speaking, to improve this condition?
—Fidela G., Los Angeles
a:
Many people who hear the term
fatty liver disease automatically
think the condition only develops in
people who drink too much alcohol. But
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
is spreading rapidly and is now the most
common chronic liver disease in both
children and adults in the United States.
NAFLD is a condition in which
excess fat is stored in your liver. Added
dietary sugar, particularly fructose, is
implicated in contributing to the
development of NAFLD, and
avoiding added sugar is the
main dietary strategy for treating the
condition. A recent study found that
overweight children with NAFLD sharply
reduced the amount of fat and infl amma-
tion in their livers by cutting soft drinks,
fruit juices, and foods with added sugars.
Eating more vegetables and fruits and as
many organic foods as possible are other
benefi cial strategies.
The Skinny on Fatty Liver
Between 30 and 40 percent of adults
in the United States have NAFLD,
according to the National Institute
of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases. Close to 10 percent of U.S.
children ages 2–19 also have the condi-
tion, and it is more common in boys
than girls. Research has demonstrated
that NAFLD is also a growing problem
among Millennials: In young adults,
ages 18–35 years old, NAFLD has risen
almost 2.5 times over three decades
(from 9.6 percent in 1988–1994 to
24 percent in 2005–2010).
The condition is more common in
people who are obese, and those who
have type 2 diabetes or metabolic
syndrome (which involves abdominal
obesity, hypertension, elevated
fasting blood sugar, high triglycerides,
or low high-density lipoprotein
[HDL] levels). It’s also associated
with insulin resistance and high
insulin levels even in lean people
with normal blood sugar levels.
While NAFLD occurs in people
of all races, it is most frequently
seen in Hispanics, followed by
non-Hispanic whites.
Fatty liver disease typically has few
symptoms, and many people who have
it don’t know it. But the condition raises
the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
and heart disease, and it is associated
with compromised reproductive health