EPIDEMIC OF LIVER DISEASE LINKED TO OBESITY
29 December 2006 - Duke University

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer, is on the increase in the U.S. While there is no confirmed cause of NAFLD, many experts say weight loss and increased physical activity are good starting points to help prevent or slow the progress of the condition.

America's overeating habit is leading to more and more health problems. One of these is the alarming increase in liver disease. Anna Mae Diehl, chief of gastroenterology at Duke University Medical Center, says non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, has become much more widespread as the obesity crisis has worsened. "By studying over 12,000 people, we demonstrated that probably about 20 percent of people have an elevated liver enzyme that can't be explained by anything other than NAFLD." If your liver is more than 10 percent fats, you may be at increased risk for developing cirrhosis or even liver cancer. The condition can be diagnosed by ultrasound or blood tests and must be confirmed by a liver biopsy. As for risk factors, Diehl says one of the most common is obesity. "In people who are not particularly overweight, the risk of having NAFLD if you have an incidentally detected abnormal blood test might only be about 40 to 50 percent. However, if you're overweight or obese, that risk can be as high as 90 percent. Certainly being overweight increases the likelihood that you'll have this particular kind of liver disease." I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.

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