Nutrition Videos

Hi! I'm Stelios Pantazis. I'm a doctor and I specialize in medical nutrition and metabolic disorders. In this video we will talk about the ideal diet for the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Maybe after an ultrasound you've been told that you have fat in your liver. Everyone's liver has fat. But not enough for an upper abdomen ultrasound to detect. However, very often it can increase significantly enough, that it can be detected during the examination. This condition is called fatty liver disease. The most common causes of this condition are alcohol abuse, overeating or eating food that's bad for you. All of them different, but with the same consequences. Of course, we may have a combination of these causes. When there's alcohol abuse involved, we call it alcoholic liver disease. If it doesn't have to do with alcohol, we call it non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We will talk about this very common condition. We will recommend some foods that can help treat it, as well as some foods that make it a lot worse. Two and a half decades ago, when I was still a medical student, I first learned about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. But doctors were reluctant to call it a disease. In hospitals, colleagues of mine, other doctors, would disregard it, as if it was just the variation of a normal condition or something insignificant or benign. Contrary to medical texts, some doctors were telling me that it can't lead to a serious liver condition, such as cirrhosis, and that it's so common, that it's "normal". Several colleagues who expressed this opinion said that they had it themselves, but didn't worry about it. Unfortunately, that is not the case. It's definitely a very common disease. In Western societies, one in three adults has the disease. The only data I managed to find about Greece is that less than 30% of people who pass away, regardless of the cause of death, have a normal liver. So more than 70% of our compatriots show fatty liver disease to some degree in their autopsy. However, is it a benign condition? Usually, yes, but not always. Only a very small percentage of people with NAFLD end up with serious liver disease. But since so many adults have it, the people who end up with serious conditions aren't few at all. Studies show that one in 25 people at most will develop serious conditions, such as cirrhosis or fibroplasia. The factors that will determine this, are the usual suspects. Diabetes, obesity, hypertension. Unfortunately, even though the condition deteriorates rarely, people who end up needing a liver transplant are so many, that it will soon be or already is the most common cause for liver transplant. Think about it. The number one reason for liver transplant is alcohol abuse and overeating. Sad, isn't it? The good news is that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is fully reversible. Yes, you heard me right. If you have it, you can cure it completely. It'll be as if you never had it in the first place. You know the way. Proper diet, weight loss, quitting hepatotoxic substances, such as alcohol and some foods and exercise. In this video we will focus on proper diet. I will show you which foods are good and which are bad. Let's start with 12 foods that you need to incorporate in your diet or to start eating more of. Foods that help treat it, combined with weight loss, of course. Number one, coffee. Unfortunately, I can't tolerate caffeine, so I've quit drinking coffee. However, if you can tolerate it, then you should know that coffee protects the liver. Two, leafy greens. I guess that it won't come as a surprise to you that fresh vegetables are good for your liver as well. Leafy ones, such as spinach and greens are most beneficial, but even non-leafy ones, such as broccoli, cauliflower etc help as well. Three, tofu. Tofu is a natural soy product that we can add to our meal. Studies in animals have shown that soy protein prevents fat accumulation in the liver. Four, fish. Another food that is abundant in Greece and is extremely good for you. Omega-3 fatty acids prevent inflammation. The best sources are well known. Sardines, mackerel, anchovy, herring and trout. Five, non-processed or not very processed cereals. Cereals consist of some things that are very good and one thing that is rather bad. The good are the plant fibers and vitamins. The bad is starch. By eating them whole or slightly processed, in normal quantity, the good overcome the bad and this makes for a valuable food. If we separate the good and only eat the bad, then we cause great harm to our health. You should watch the video where I explain how you can tell which whole wheat cereals are actually whole wheat. Six, walnuts. They are high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have shown that they help people with liver problems. Seven, avocado. Avocado contain substances that according to studies help slow down liver damage. They are also high in plant fibers that help us lose weight. Eight, linseed. I've yet to find something that linseed isn't good for. It's very high in Omega-3 fatty acids and lignins. These are plant fibers that are extremely important for your health. So we shouldn't be surprised that linseed helps treat liver conditions as well. It can reduce liver damage in people with NAFLD, in accordance with liver enzymes. Nine, sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are just as good as linseed in reducing liver enzymes. They also contain vitamin E which is useful, as well as antioxidants. Ten, olive oil. Obviously, olive oil helps, but don't overdo it. By consuming more than we should, we may get the opposite result. Eleven, garlic. Yet another miraculous food. It helps people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease lose weight. Twelve, green tea. According to early data, it can reduce fat accumulation in the liver and improve its function. It also increases ANPK. I plan on making some videos on how important that is. So we should eat even more of these. What foods should we eat less of or avoid altogether? Alcohol. The most classic of the hepatotoxics. The less, the better. Sugar, fructose and zero calory sweeteners. Sweet foods, with or without any calories, increase fat accumulation, especially in the liver. Fried foods. You can be fooled into consuming a huge amount of calories, without knowing it. They contain highly toxic substances, such as acrylamide. Salt. Need I say more? Bakery goods, white rice and pasta. If we peel a cereal grain, cereals turn from friend, to foe. Meat consumption apparently can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It's better to eat small, Greek fish. These are the foods that can protect you, or cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. 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