A comprehensive review of several measures to prevent fatty liver disease has been published in the journal Annals of Medicine.
As we have discussed in previous blogs, weight-loss diets (low-calorie diets, low-carbohydrate diets, Mediterranean diets, etc.) can prevent the development of fatty liver disease. Intermittent fasting diets also do so, of which there are three types: alternate-day fasting, diets of 5 days with normal calorie intake and 2 non-consecutive days of 500-600 calories/day, and diets with normal calorie intake for 8 hours and complete fasting for the following 16 hours.
To prevent fatty liver disease, it is highly recommended to reduce your intake of saturated fats: red meat, sausages, full-fat dairy products, fast food, and processed foods. On the contrary, we should increase our intake of unsaturated fats: olive oil, sunflower oil, nuts, seeds (pumpkin or sunflower), fatty fish (salmon, sardines), avocados, and olives. In this regard, it has been shown that eating a handful of walnuts daily is beneficial for cardiovascular health and prevents fatty liver disease.
Sport and hydration to prevent fatty liver
Regarding fluid intake, drinking 2-4 cups of coffee daily is also important to prevent fatty liver disease. Coffee has more than 1,000 components, and among them, caffeine and carvacrol appear to be the most useful in this prevention. It’s important to remember to avoid soft drinks because their sugar content promotes the development of fatty liver disease.
Physical exercise is another strategy to prevent fatty liver disease. It is recommended to exercise for 1 hour daily, 3-5 days a week. Following this pattern for three months has been shown to reduce liver fat by 10%. Conversely, a sedentary lifestyle (sitting for more than 7 hours a day) should be avoided.
Interestingly, several studies have shown that brushing your teeth 2-3 times a day is associated with a lower risk of fatty liver disease. This could be due to sociocultural factors related to health.
In summary, our Foundation recommends following these measures to prevent or reduce the risk of fatty liver disease, as this disease is becoming a major global health problem.
