A recent report published in the Lancet Regional Health Europe shared the news that research has shown that more than 15 million people have MASLD, or nonalcohol fatty liver disease across the US, UK, France and Germany.
The condition is now known as Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). As its previous name suggests, it doesn’t have anything to do with heavy alcohol consumption.
People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or MASLD, are often moderate or non-drinkers and most people don’t even know they have the condition, Â
You have an increased risk of developing MASLD if you are overweight or obese with a high waist measurement. Being overweight also means you are likely to have high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, an unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle, which are all added risks.
Type 2 diabetes and other conditions which are connected to insulin resistance also put you at risk of MASLD.
The main problem with MASLD is that often you don’t have any symptoms until the condition has progressed. But if you feel tired all the time and you have pain or discomfort from your stomach on the upper right side, which is the location of your liver then discuss this with your GP.
Serious symptoms, which shouldn’t be ignored according to the British Liver Trust include:
If your doctor thinks you have MASLD there are a range of tests they can do and questions they will ask so that they can make sure your liver disease isn’t a result of something else such as:
Tests may include an ultrasound, a biopsy and/or a series of blood tests and these will demonstrate the amount of scarring (fibrosis) on your liver.
Mild or moderate fibrosis means you may have early-stage fatty liver disease. Your liver can repair itself and reverse any damage if you start to eat well, exercise and get down to a healthy weight.  Every year your doctor should check your cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose and weight. Every 3 years you’ll need another fibrosis checkup to make sure your liver scarring hasn’t got any worse.
If test results show you have a high risk of fibrosis, then it is likely that you have advanced MASLD and possible cirrhosis of the liver. In this case, you will be referred to a liver specialist and you should be offered liver scans every 6 months to check for liver cancer.
Improving your lifestyle by losing weight. exercising and eating a healthy diet will not only reduce your risk of liver cancer but it can also reverse some of the liver damage. Â Â Â
Aim to do at least two and a half hours of activity a week. You don’t need to do a great chunk at a time, ten minutes of brisk walking twice a day means you will cover two and a half hours easily.
Losing between 5% to 10% of your body weight will help to reverse the damage to your liver. If your weight is 11 stone, then losing just over half a stone to a stone will help enormously. Â
If you want to use the latest weight loss treatments such as Wegovy and Mounjaro you can visit our weight loss clinic for support from the pharmacy. You’ll receive a combination of the latest weight loss medications, together with helpful tips for effective weight loss and management.
To book an appointment, use the online calendar, telephone 01276 21002 or pop into the pharmacy and speak to a member of staff.
Tick bites from infected ticks in Europe and eleswhere can cause Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme disease. Ticks are around
Losing weight is hard, but keeping weight off is even harder. If you can change your eating habits by swapping high-fat, sugary foods for healthier options then keeping the weight off won`t be such an uphill struggle.
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