Knowledge is power. And there is one thing you should know about your liver if you’re to drastically improve its health. Especially, if you have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
This is according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
A new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology suggests it might, showing that people who receive liver fibrosis screenings are more likely to adopt healthier habits.
This research involved nearly 5,000 individuals at risk for two common liver diseases: alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The latter type is the same as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, except that its name spells out the condition’s metabolic causes.
Participants underwent a painless test called transient elastography, which checks for liver scarring (fibrosis). After receiving their results and personalized lifestyle advice, they reported their habits to the scientists at one week and six months later. A subgroup was even re-examined two years later.
The results were encouraging.
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1. Among those at risk for ALD, excessive drinking decreased from 46 to 32% after six months.
2. 35% of the participants at risk for MASLD (NAFLD) improved their diets, 22% exercised more, and 13% reported losing at least five percent of their weight after six months.
These changes weren’t just short-lived. Two years down the line, excessive drinking had decreased even further among a subgroup of participants, from 52% to 41%.
Interestingly, the lifestyle changes were observed in both groups of participants, regardless of whether their screening results were positive or negative. This suggests that just the act of being screened and receiving advice was enough to motivate people to take better care of their liver health.
Now, having been diagnosed with NAFLD, the big question is… what exact lifestyle changes should you make? Because sometimes, what’s good for your general health isn’t enough to reverse NAFL.