Doctor warns beer belly is one of the warning signs of “fatty liver”, recommends 10 common symptoms
A bloated belly like beer can be a warning sign of fatty liver disease. If you have “10 risky symptoms”, it may lead to cirrhosis – liver cancer. Doctors warn that it may be too late to fix!
Do you have a beer belly? A beer belly is often thought to be a problem caused by beer drinkers, but the truth is, the causes are more complex than you might think. A beer belly is a sign of excessive fat accumulating in the abdominal cavity. It not only affects your appearance, but also increases your risk of chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome and heart disease. If left untreated, it can lead to more serious consequences than you might expect.
Recently, Dr. Chen Weilong has come out to warn about a serious and silent health problem in the early stages: fatty liver.
Why does the liver become cirrhotic?
The liver is the largest organ in the body and performs many important functions, such as detoxifying, storing nutrients, and maintaining homeostasis in the body.
When external chemicals, such as alcohol, stimulate the liver to become inflamed, if the inflammation is repeated and prolonged, the liver will gradually become fibrous. When the fibrosis spreads, it will lead to cirrhosis and may develop into liver cancer. This is what is called the “3 stages to liver cancer”.
Cirrhosis is the final stage of liver fibrosis, which often occurs with liver failure, leading to malnutrition. In addition, fibrosis increases blood pressure in the hepatic veins, leading to ascites and dilation of blood vessels in the digestive tract, resulting in thinner limbs and swollen abdomen. If the pressure in the esophageal veins is so high that the blood vessels rupture, it can cause vomiting of blood.
A healthy liver that develops cirrhosis often has to go through a long, chronic inflammation process, and “fatty liver” is a major risk factor for chronic hepatitis.
Importantly, fatty liver can be reversed, but if it progresses to cirrhosis, the chances of recovery are greatly reduced.
A beer belly is one of the signs of fatty liver.
Fatty liver often occurs in conjunction with metabolic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and waist circumference above the standard. Research has found that a larger waist circumference is associated with a higher mortality rate. Therefore, regular waist measurement or abdominal ultrasound are effective ways to prevent and monitor fatty liver disease.
Types of fatty liver are divided into:
- Alcoholic fatty liver
Long-term excessive alcohol consumption is the main cause of alcoholic hepatitis and fatty liver disease. Research has shown that drinking an average of 30 grams of alcohol per day is enough to damage the liver.
When alcohol is metabolized in the body, it produces acetaldehyde, a carcinogen, as well as free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damage liver cells, causing inflammation and cell death. It also affects the control of body fat, slowing down the breakdown of fat and stimulating the creation of new fat. When accumulated over a long period of time, it leads to fatty liver.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Or known as metabolic fatty liver disease. The main cause is from eating an unbalanced diet high in fat and sugar, especially fructose, which is an important factor that makes the dangers of this type of food more severe. Fructose is metabolized in the ทางเข้า ufabet body differently from glucose. It makes liver cells unable to perceive signals that indicate they have received enough energy. It also stimulates the expression of genes related to fat production, resulting in fat accumulation and eventually fatty liver disease.
10 common symptoms of liver cirrhosis
The liver is often called the “silent organ” because it has no nerves inside it. Even when inflammation occurs, it is not painful until it affects surrounding tissue or the lining of the abdomen, which usually means that the disease has progressed to a more advanced stage.
Common symptoms of liver cirrhosis include:
- Fatigue, loss of appetite: Feeling tired, weak, and having no appetite.
- Thin, weak body: Significant weight loss, muscle weakness.
- Jaundice: The skin and whites of the eyes appear yellow due to a build-up of bilirubin (a yellow substance in bile) in the body.
- Dark urine: Urine is dark in color, like tea color, because bilirubin is excreted in the urine.
- Ascites, leg swelling: Fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity, causing abdominal swelling. There may also be swelling in the legs and feet.
- Hernia: A weak abdominal wall makes it easy for a hernia to form.
- Bleeding gums: Gums are swollen, red, and bleed easily.
- Bruising: Skin bruises or bleeds easily, even from minor bumps.
- Spider angioma (broken capillaries) Red palms: Small broken capillaries appear scattered like spider webs on the skin and the palms are abnormally red.
- Irregular periods and men with enlarged breasts: Women may have irregular periods or miss periods. While men may have enlarged breasts (gynecomastia).
If you have these symptoms. You should see your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment. As these symptoms can also be caused by other factors. Diagnosing cirrhosis in its early stages will help make treatment more effective.
4 Principles of Liver Care
Now that you understand the severity of fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. You need to learn how to prevent and even reverse its progression to help reduce the risk of further damage to your liver that can affect your health. Here are four things you can change to help protect your liver.
- Eating habits
When choosing food, avoid foods that are high in fat, sodium and sugar. Instead, focus on eating foods that are high in fiber and antioxidants. Such as cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower), dark green leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach) and fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (e.g. salmon, mackerel).
- Regular exercise
It is recommended to establish a habit of exercising at least 150 minutes per week at a moderate intensity. Such as running, swimming or brisk walking, which not only helps burn excess calories. But also increases insulin sensitivity and reduces fat accumulation in the liver. At the same time, adding a suitable amount of resistance training can also help increase muscle mass and increase the basal metabolic rate.
Daily life
Having a regular sleep schedule and getting enough sleep are important factors that should not be overlooked. Research has shown that long-term insufficient sleep can cause hormonal imbalances, increase appetite, and stimulate fat storage. Therefore, it is recommended to maintain quality sleep of 7-8 hours per night and reduce sleep deprivation. Which not only helps the body recover. But is also important for liver recovery.
- Reducing alcohol consumption
Finally, you should reduce your alcohol consumption to a minimum. In social events, you should learn to refuse or choose healthier drinks instead. Drinking a lot of alcohol directly damages liver cells and greatly increases the risk of fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.
Alcohol and delicious food are a part of life that is hard to cut out. But we must be aware of the dangers they can cause to our bodies, choose to consume in moderation, and pay attention to the signals our bodies send us.
Simultaneously improving your diet, exercise, sleep, and reducing your alcohol intake can not only reduce your risk of developing fatty liver disease. But may also help reverse the development of fatty liver disease in its early stages and restore a healthy life.