We analyze the differences between the diet with intermittent calorie restriction vs low carbohydrate diet for fatty liver.
For the treatment of fatty liver, it is often necessary to use low-calorie diets to lose weight and thus reduce the fat deposited in the liver. The Journal of Hepatology has published a study, carried out in Sweden, in which various diets are compared for the treatment of this disease.
Seventy-four patients with fatty liver were included and were divided into three groups:
- Patients followed a low-carbohydrate diet (carbohydrate intake less than 10% of total energy).
- They followed a diet in which two days a week (not consecutive) they took between 500-600 Kcal while the rest of the week they ingested 2,000 Kcal (women) or 2,400 Kcal (men).
- They ate their usual diet but reducing the amount of food on each plate.
It was found that in groups 1 and 2, 53% and 50% of the patients, respectively, managed to reduce fat in the liver, while in group 3, this only occurred in 17% of the cases. Also in groups 1 and 2 a greater reduction in body weight was
observed (-7.3 Kg and -7.4 Kg) than in group 3 (-2.5 Kg). Between groups 1 and 2 there were no significant differences in terms of fat or weight reduction.
Conclusions of the study
This work shows that at low-carbohydrate diet or an intermittent fasting diet with reduced calories 2 days a week, can be used for the treatment of fatty liver. In most patients with this disease, in addition to treatments with various drugs, it is essential to lose weight if they are overweight. It is also essential to exercise at least three hours a week.
