Fatty liver is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and can progress to liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. In addition, fatty liver is associated with the development of other pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, etc.. It is estimated that the prevalence of fatty liver in the world population is 20-30%.
It has been shown that during vacation periods there can be a weight gain of 2-3 kg. This is partly due to changes in eating habits (increased consumption of alcoholic beverages, ice cream, sweets, snacks, etc.) and to the decrease in physical exercise. The change in time to go to sleep also influences (generally on vacation it is delayed by an hour and a half). Theoretically, all of these facts can facilitate the appearance of fatty liver.
A study, published in the journal BMC Endocrine Disorders, has tried to determine the factors associated with the appearance of fatty liver. A total of 8,360 participants were included. They found that the prevalence of fatty liver was 39.56% and that these people with fatty liver had less physical activity than participants without fatty liver. On the other hand, the average calorie intake in people with and without fatty liver was 2,579 Kcal/day vs 2,494 Kcal/day, respectively.
The importance of practicing sports
People with moderate (3-4 hours per week) or high (5 or more hours per week) physical activity were 16 to 31% less likely to have fatty liver than those with low (less than 2 hours per week ) physical activity. The risk of suffering from fatty liver was 236.7 times higher in obese people who also had metabolic disorders (increased cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose) compared to non-obese participants without metabolic alterations.
In summary, the study has confirmed that having moderate or high physical activity is important to try to avoid the appearance of fatty liver. On the other hand, both excessive food intake and eating foods high in fat or sugar facilitate the development of this disease.
For all this, Dr. Carreño and the Foundation’s doctors recommend that all patients practice physical activity (walking, swimming, dancing, etc.) between 3-5 hours a week and moderate the intake of foods with high caloric content. If you have gained weight during the holidays, it is essential to follow these recommendations to eliminate the extra kilos and recover healthy habits.
