Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease

Posted: Apr 10 in Weight Management Strategies by Dr. Lazarus

Do you have high liver enzymes? These are the ALT, AST, GGTP ALK and PHOS tests toward the bottom of your blood-work results. What do the elevation of these funny acronyms mean? Abnormal values may indicate problems with your liver, bile duct or other bodily systems. Your liver is a key metabolic organ. It performs many vitally important functions, filtering out toxins and waste products It effectively cleans your blood. Enzyme levels are often elevated when the liver has to deal with higher levels of drugs (even those over the counter) or alcohol.

Nonalcoholic Liver Disease (NALD) can occur when weight gain causes excess fat to be stored in the liver. Untreated, it can lead to cirrhosis, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Gradual and sustained weight loss is the most effective treatment. Reduced caloric intake and regular physical activity are the keys to successfully remedying this medical condition. A diet low in carbohydrate and saturated fat, and abundant in omega 3-containing foods is the long-term treatment. At Clinical Nutrition Center, we can help you to design and implement the program you need. It is interesting to note that the same diet that is used to treat and prevent liver disease is also used to prevent or ameliorate heart disease, diabetes, stroke risk and even Alzheimer’s !

By Suzanne Boos, RD