Fatty liver disease is exactly what the name suggests – a disease that occurs when fat builds up in the liver.
There are two main types of fatty liver disease:
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- Alcoholic fatty liver disease (also called alcoholic steatohepatitis)
Both conditions can lead to severe liver damage. Alcoholic fatty liver disease can easily be reversed by simply giving up alcohol. The treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, however, remains uncertain.
What we do know is that a combination of lifestyle, genetics, and gut health issues may be the main cause of the disease, and the key to disrupting the vicious cycle of fatty liver disease before it damages the liver is exercise and diet.
The current research suggests that one of the best diets for reversing fatty liver disease is a whole food based keto diet. This means that you should be restricting carbohydrates and eating low-carbohydrate vegetables with every meal to help decrease the amount of fat in the liver.
Other lifestyle changes that can help you reverse nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are:
- Exercising every day
- Taking scientifically-proven liver healing supplements like spirulina, betaine, and milk thistle
- Including liver healing foods in your diet like avocado, nuts, fatty fish, olive oil, and unsweetened coffee
- Limiting alcohol intake
For a closer look at the research behind these recommendations and how to implement them, check out our article on fatty liver disease.