Not only obese or overweight, even lean may succumb to liver disease

Kolkata, Jun 22: The myth that only obese, overweight, and middle-aged people succumb to liver diseases is totally wrong as even the young, lean, and seemingly healthy millennials working out to stay fit can be prone to it.

According to consultant gastro-enterologist at C K Birla Hospital Dr Saswata Chatterjee, if someone, along with regular gym sessions, consistently consume fried food and alcohol, burning extra calories won’t help.

It will only delay the onset of liver diseases. These people may suffer from fatty liver even before detecting any of its symptoms.

" The disease remains silent for long periods of time. The best recommendation is to do away with unhealthy lifestyle wholly, " Dr Chatterjee opined.

He said being careful about daily lifestyle, consulting doctor before taking any non-prescription medication, drinking in moderation, and checking on enzyme levels periodically are some of the steps every person should follow.

Avoiding being complacent and going for regular health check-ups will bring long-term benefits, he advised.

Obese and overweight people should always be aware of stress on their liver.

Even if they practise restraint during drinking, other related causes like diabetes, high cholesterol or triglycerides, high blood pressure may easily trigger steatohepatitis and liver damage, Dr Chatterjee said.

He said smoking and chewing tobacco doesn’t directly cause liver damage, these rather affect the lungs.

Nevertheless, they hasten the liver damage process over time, he added.

“Choosing wine over beer won’t save your liver! All forms of alcohol make the liver susceptible to diseases. Especially binge drinking within a short time span exacerbates the liver injury. In fact, a recent study has shown that both beer and wine drinker may end up having liver diseases,” Dr Chatterjee said.

He said suddenly altering lifestyle at the end-stages of cirrhosis won’t help the patient.

One should be responsible about their lifestyle early on, so that the recovery process starts effectively at the primary stage.

Another major myth is that fasting leads to liver diseases.
Different religions have different customs of fasting.
However, doctors endorse controlled fasting.
Moreover, the patient should be cautious about his/her own body needs.
Uncontrolled fasting often results in fatty liver disease, Dr Chatterjee iterated.