Page 7 - Seniorstoday October 2022 Issue
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possess an amazing ability to regenerate in fatty liver - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
a short span. (NAFLD) which is responsible for the
Liver health is therefore important for majority of the liver cases. Other common
everyone, of all ages, but more so in the causes include alcoholic liver disease, viral
elderly. The liver is responsible for many hepatitis and drug-induced liver injury.
vital functions, such as filtering toxins from
the blood, producing bile to help digest Liver Disease and Lifestyle
fats, storing vitamins and minerals. As Aberrant lifestyles have pushed the liver
we age, the liver becomes less efficient at of millions of individuals to their limit,
performing these functions which can lead leading to a silent smouldering epidemic
to a build-up of toxins in the blood causing of lifestyle liver disease known as the fatty
a variety of health problems. liver disease. It is believed that one-third of
the world’s population suffers from some
form of fatty liver disease. A study done in
Kerala, India, reported a prevalence of 49%
and a staggering 60% prevalence among
obese school going children. On a country
basis, fatty liver disease is scaling up and
has percolated into all socio-economic
strata. But it’s also a myth to cast fatty liver
disease as a modern world disease. The
Charakasamhita, the traditional Indian
medical text written in the second century
BC documented metabolic imbalance quite
explicitly.
Fatty liver is a condition in which excess
fat accumulates in the liver. This can lead
to inflammation and scarring of the liver,
In India today, liver disease is a major and can eventually lead to liver failure.
public health concern. It is currently the Fatty liver is most common in people who
tenth leading - and quickly ascending - are overweight or obese, and who are
cause of death in the country. The most diabetic. It is also more common in people
common known cause of liver disease is who consume alcohol excessively. In India,
the prevalence of fatty liver is on the rise
primarily due to the increase incidence of
obesity and diabetes. Fatty liver is a major
cause of chronic liver disease and is a
leading cause of death from liver disease.
The good news is that fatty liver is a
preventable condition. Losing weight,
eating a healthy diet, and exercising
regularly can all help to prevent fatty liver.
In some cases, medications may also be
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #40 | OCTOBER 2022 7
