Over two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. While excess fat accumulates in the abdomen and around the hips, it can also build up in the liver, which is the body's most important center for metabolic regulation. Fat buildup in the liver cells, which impedes the function of the cell nuclei (cell gene centers), triggers liver cell inflammation, and eventually leads to scarring. This is an extremely serious condition that can result in a liver transplant or death. Contributing factors include unhealthy diets, elevated levels of VLDL (the principal triglyceride carrier), and insulin resistance. As with most poor health conditions, the solution is regular exercise, healthy diet, and preventing obesity. How people lose weight could be important. A study on rats led by Yuka Kurosaki from Wayo Women's University in Chiba, Japan found that following a high protein-fat diet led to fatty liver disease. This popular weight loss diet can have severe metabolic consequences that could eventually be life threatening.
(Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 487: 41-46, 2018)
