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How do you cure fatty liver?
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What liver cancer looks like .. and why it almost always starts the same wayHearing Spanish on YouTube? Tap ⚙ › Audio track › English
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Fatty liver can be reversed by losing weight, changing your diet and exercising. Cutting out alcohol also helps, but liver "cleanses" don't exist. If you have diabetes or obesity, keeping them under control helps the liver, and your doctor decides whether to add a medication.
Why does fatty liver happen, and how can it lead to cirrhosis?
It happens when fat builds up in the liver, and it goes hand in hand with extra weight or diabetes. In some people that fat inflames the liver, and over the years it leaves scarring, called fibrosis. If the scarring keeps advancing, it turns into cirrhosis, and cirrhosis raises the risk of liver cancer.
If I have fatty liver, is that why I feel pain, bloating and heaviness on my right side?
Yes, it can, though early fatty liver almost never hurts and is usually found on an ultrasound. As it advances, it can cause fatigue or discomfort on the right side. That discomfort can also have other causes, irritable bowel syndrome among them, and your doctor puts the pieces together.
What test do I need to find out if I have fatty liver?
The most common first test is an abdominal ultrasound, which shows the fat. To check for scarring, doctors use a blood-based score called FIB-4, followed if needed by elastography, which measures liver stiffness. Which tests you need is your doctor's call, based on risk factors like diabetes or being overweight.
Micrograph: Mikael Häggström, M.D., Histopathology of centrilobular steatosis of the liver, CC0 1.0.
Where this comes from
This is educational content, meant to help you understand your body. It is not a medical consultation or a diagnosis, and it does not tell any particular person what to do. If something worries you, see a doctor you trust.