World Liver Day: Fatty liver to cirrhosis, A reversible chronic disease problem

Heart, Brain, Arteries, Pancreas and finally its turn of 'Liver', which has become victim of drastic lifestyle and dietary changes of today's society. Heart disease, cerebro-vascular accidents, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and finally Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is making its mark as lifestyle health challenges of modern world.

Fatty liver to Non alcoholic steato-hepatitis (NASH), liver fibrosis and finally liver cirrhosis with liver failure, all these progressive damages to liver have become reality without consuming alcohol or having viral hepatitis due to present day junk, fast food habits, sedentary lifestyles and overindulgence in smart gadgets and phones.

Junk and fast food has unbalanced proportions of nutrition, they are high in sugar, carbohydrate, oil and poor in protein, minerals and vitamins. This adds up to fatty liver disease progression. Addition to these poor eating habits, sedentary life style, no exercise leads to obesity and further liver damage.

"Today's Smarti-zen" is more vulnerable to harmful effects of imbalanced nutrition due to overindulgence in smart phones and gadgets, which are eating up his rest and relaxation time. Overstressing body with poor and erratic sleep due social media activities adds up to health damage.

NAFLD at times was unheard of in Indian subcontinent and thought to be disease of over nourished western population has become reality in India. NASH and Non alcoholic liver cirrhosis is surpassing alcoholic, viral liver cirrhosis in India as well adding huge burden of chronic liver disease on health care. Chronic liver disease and its spectrum of morbidities to public in from of deranged liver function, low albumin, fluid collection is abdomen (ascites), oedema and infection of limbs, internal bleedings in stomach and intestines and finally loss of consciousness due hepatic encephalopathy brings novel spectrum of chronic disease to India.

Liver is a highly dynamic organ and fatty liver as well as NASH is a reversible condition. Simple measures can reverse the damage caused to liver by unbalanced diet and lifestyle. Avoiding junk food, fast food, unhealthy food, high sugar low dietary fibre food, Increasing more fresh food, vegetables, fruits, salad, egg white, fish and roasted meat in diet can reduced fatty infiltration of liver cells. Daily exercise has the biggest benefit on liver by mobilising liver stores and reducing fatty liver. Giving enough rest and relaxation is equally important in achieving good health goals. This very important factor is getting neglected over healthy diet and fitness advice. Prolonged and erratic working hours or social medial indulgence, smart phone addiction exposing our new generation to difficult time management, bulge eating, fast and junk food dependence and beyond all inadequate rest and relaxation. Stressing body with poor nutritional diet bringing obesity culminating into fatty liver, non alcoholic steato-hepatitis, liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis.

On World liver day we should take a pledge to improve our lifestyle by taking fresh, nutritious balanced diet with adequate exercise and adequate relaxation. As we are stressing our body by prolonged Smarti-zen activities with sleep deprivation, damage cased by imbalance nutrition is exaggerated and younger population is getting affected by chronic diseases. So balance of Smarti-zen social activity in virtual world is equally needed with balanced nutrition and exercise.

-By Dr Abhijit Thakur, Consultant Lap GI, Breast & Endocrine Surgeon at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre

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