Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a term used to describe the accumulation of fat in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is common and, for most people, causes no signs and symptoms and no complications.
But in some people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the fat that accumulates can cause inflammation and scarring in the liver. This more serious form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is sometimes called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
At its most severe, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can progress to liver failure.
How do we define “Overweight” and “Obese”?
Although many people feel they could lose some weight, few would consider themselves obese. A widely-used measure to define “overweight” and “obese” is the Body Mass Index (BMI). A BMI is a calculation based on your height and weight that gives a number that reflects either a healthy or unhealthy weight. The BMI is endorsed by World Health Organization (WHO) and by Public Health Agency of Canada 6.
You can use the following formula to calculate your BMI: BMI = weight in kilograms divided by (height in metres)2
Example: for someone who is 1.70 meters tall who weighs 80 kilograms: BMI = 80 divided by 1.70 x 1.70 = 27.7
BMI Classification
<18.5 Underweight
18.5 to 24.9 Normal Weight
25.0 to 29.9 Overweight
30.0 to 34.9 Obese I
35.0 to 39.0 Obese II
BMI ≥ 40 Obese III
Different ethnic groups may differ slightly - for example, in Asian populations the healthy BMI is lower, ranging from 18 -23.
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What causes fatty liver disease?
The most common cause of fatty liver disease in Canada is obesity. Whereas several decades ago obesity was not very common, according to current statistics more than 50% of Canadians are overweight. It is estimated that 75% of obese individuals are at risk of developing a simple fatty liver. Up to 23% of obese individuals are at risk of developing fatty liver with inflammation.
Besides obesity, nutritional causes of fatty liver disease are:
starvation and protein malnutrition,
long term use of total parenteral nutrition (a feeding procedure that involves infusing nutrients directly into the blood stream),
intestinal bypass surgery for obesity,
rapid weight loss.
Certain conditions often accompany and may contribute to fatty liver disease:
diabetes mellitus,
hyperlipidemia (elevated lipids in the blood),
insulin resistance and high blood pressure.
Other causes include:
genetic factors,
drugs and chemicals such as alcohol, corticosteroids, tetracycline and carbon tetrachloride.