Fatty Liver Diet 2023: Foods To Eat & Avoid For A Better Liver

Fatty liver is the medical term for fat accumulation in the liver. Normal cells that become infiltrated by fat can no longer function normally, contributing to organ failure. Several causes of this medical condition include alcohol, dietary habits, low physical activity, or aging. Treatment of this condition may differ, but in each case, dietary habits will impact the health status of the patients.

In this article, you will find the nutritional approaches, superfoods, and diet to help improve your liver health and how to protect your liver with your lifestyle changes.

What Is Fatty Liver Diet?

Fatty liver disease is closely related to diet. However, it can also develop due to alcohol or age. However, today’s increase in unhealthy eating habits has increased the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), that is, fatty liver associated with nutrition.

The Disease Of The Century: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver

Health professionals^[1] define NAFLD as the presence of liver fat accumulation ≥5% without any other liver problems such as hepatitis, alcoholic liver, or drug use. 

NAFLD^[2] is a common disease that causes chronic liver damage worldwide. Looking at overall prevalence, the prevalence of NAFLD is 31.79% in the Middle East, 30.45% in South America, 27.37% in Asia, 24.13% in North America, 23.71% in Europe, and 13.48% in African regions. Twenty-five percent of the world’s population is currently struggling with this health problem.

In the USA^[3], there were 83 million NAFLD patients in 2015, which is expected to exceed 100 million by 2030. Approximately $103 billion^[4] of annual direct medical costs is thought to be due to NAFLD.

Can Diet Help?

According to meta-analysis results, there is an obvious difference between the dietary patterns of fatty liver patients and healthy people. Dietary calorie, carbohydrate, and fat intake were higher in fatty liver patients, although the protein intake wasn’t different. 

It shows that excessive calorie, carbohydrate, and fat intake can lead to fat accumulation in the liver. So, if you have such a health condition, you need to control your daily dietary habits. Being overweight or having a sedentary lifestyle may also contribute to this disease. Weight loss can help to reduce liver fat in addition to body fat. Calorie restriction^[5] is effective in reducing fatty liver complications and improving blood parameters.

Healthy Food For Fatty Liver

General dietary patterns of a fatty liver-prevention diet (the “fatty liver diet”) are similar to the Mediterranean Diet because it was shown that the Mediterranean diet^[6] reduced the fatty liver disease risk by 23%. Therefore, a diet menu for the fatty liver may include unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory fruits, veggies, healthy fiber, and complex carbohydrate sources like what you would see on a Mediterranean table. 

Unsaturated Fatty Acid Sources

The Mediterranean diet is the gold standard diet in preventive medicine, as it consists of a synergy of many foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Unsaturated fatty acids are the major nutrient of this diet strategy.

Olive oil^[7], which we love to consume in our meals, is a good source of unsaturated fatty acids. It is associated with many benefits to human health, especially concerning the cardiovascular system, obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. All these metabolic benefits include mitigating NAFLD. This is why fatty liver diet recipes should include olive oil. Keep in mind that unless it’s “extra virgin” olive oil, other olive oils which are more processed may not share these benefits. 

Furthermore, fish consumption and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation reduced the risk of liver cancer development^[8] by 35% and 51%. 

As an important lectin-free superfood, walnut consumption^[9] is also beneficial for many different metabolic diseases, from diabetes to fatty liver.

Complex Carbs

A plant-based diet^[10], including whole grains, legumes, fruits, and veggies, is effective for many metabolic problems due to its antioxidant, vitamin, mineral, and fiber content. Specifically, the fiber contents of these foods are important to regulate blood lipids and cholesterol metabolism because dietary fibers^[11] function to excrete bile and cholesterol in the stool. This mechanism is closely related to liver health in fatty liver disease.

Also, red-orange fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, berries, and citrus fruits (orange, lime, grapefruit) have important lycopene and carotenoid content^[12] to protect the liver and benefit the eyes. 

Prebiotics & Probiotics

Probiotics^[13] are microorganisms that are beneficial to health. There are probiotics in every part of the body, but they are mainly located in the intestine. They are specifically called “gut microbiota.” Prebiotics are food compounds that provide nutrition and support healthy reproduction in these beneficial bacteria.

Studies revealed that prebiotics and probiotics^[14] supplement fatty liver, obesity, and diabetes treatments. For this reason, probiotic food such as yogurt and other fermented dairy products can improve liver health. 

Green Tea And Coffee

Green tea has a special chemical called cathepsin. This molecule is an important anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant compound and shows beneficial effects against many metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Green tea also has been studied in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. According to meta-analysis^[15] data from 15 randomized controlled trials, it improves liver enzymes in people with fatty liver disease.

According to studies on NAFLD patients, coffee consumption^[16] has a protective role in liver fibrosis (another type of destructive infiltration of liver cells) and improves metabolic parameters. 

Curcumin

The spice curcumin is powerful in many different health conditions. According to 9 different study results^[17], curcumin supplementation has favorable effects on metabolic markers. Curcumin decreases blood levels of elevated liver enzymes, total cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and elevated fasting blood sugar and insulin levels. 

Ginger

Ginger is a commonly used spice with a great smell and is known for its beneficial effects on insulin and carbohydrate metabolism of the body. But recently, it has been revealed that ginger also has lipid-lowering effects, which makes it a promising food for liver and cardiovascular diseases. Since diabetes and heart disease are often linked together, ginger offers a two-pronged approach.

According to cumulative analysis in 2022, ginger consumption^[18] lowers total lipid, cholesterol, and elevated liver enzyme levels in the blood. 

Sumac

Did you ever heard about sumac? It is a commonly used spice in Asia and the Middle East. This randomized controlled study in 2020^[19] revealed sumac to be a herbal medicine for NAFLD. After 12 weeks of daily intervention, sumac, and a calorie-restricted diet, showed sharp decreases in liver fibrosis and elevated liver enzymes compared to the basic calorie-restriction diet. 

Fatty Liver Foods To Avoid

The foods that your diet includes are also just as important as the nutrients that your diet lacks. Researchers state that Western dietary patterns^[6] containing high levels of processed food, red meat, high-fat dairy, and refined grains increase the risk for fatty liver disease. 

Products you need to avoid, according to the American Society of Nutrition^[22]:

• Highly processed foods 
• Added sugar
• Fructose-containing market products 
• Corn syrup 
• Glucose syrup
• Sweetened beverages
• Fast food
• Trans fats
• Excessive saturated fats
• Excessive meat

Additional Ways To Treat Fatty Liver Disease

Regular exercise^[23] is the most important protective factor in reducing body fat and organ fatty infiltration. As mentioned before, increased energy expenditure, via its contribution to weight loss, reduces the risk of fatty liver.

In addition, excessive alcohol consumption^[24] can directly cause liver disease and liver cancer as it is metabolized in the liver. Therefore, it is necessary to limit alcohol consumption.

Along with all this, you should consult your doctor about appropriate medical interventions.

Conclusion

Fatty liver is one of the diseases that can respond to diet quickly and effectively. Harmful metabolic effects can be avoided by regulating nutrition. 

In the fatty liver diet, preferring unsaturated fats instead of saturated or trans fats, fresh products instead of processed products, fish instead of meat, and fiber-rich carbohydrate sources instead of simple carbohydrates can prevent or reverse fatty liver.

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