Type 2 Diabetes - Preventing Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease By Beverleigh H Piepers

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a serious complication of Type 2 diabetes. According to a study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health in Baltimore, United States, hormonal therapy could be one means of prevention.

The study, reported on in the Journal of Gastroenterology in November 2012, included 4,338 women from 20 to 60 years of age:

• a total of 11.6 per cent participants were diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
• women taking oral contraceptives had only a 6.7 per cent prevalence of the disease.
• participants who reported formerly taking oral contraceptives had a 12.0 per cent prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, while women who had never taken the medication had a 15.0 per cent prevalence of the disease.

From these results, it was concluded oral contraceptives could be associated with a reduced chance of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which would be consistent with the fact young women are less likely to get the disease than women after menopause, and men.

On the other hand, the researchers caution women taking oral contraceptives could have less fat than women not taking the medication. Further studies will be needed to clarify whether hormonal therapy might be useful to protect the liver.
Individuals with the disease can be without symptoms in the beginning, but as the condition advances they can become tired and lose weight for no obvious reason. High blood levels of liver enzymes are an indication of liver disease. The disease can be diagnosed when a piece of the liver, called a biopsy, is removed and looked at under a microscope.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can be silent unless the liver becomes inflamed, a condition known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH.

NASH affects:

• 2 to 5 per cent of Americans,
• frequently occurring in middle-aged, or
• obese individuals.

If the liver becomes scarred and hard, then the blood will not be able to circulate through it and the liver can then lose its function. Although the causes are not fully understood, insulin resistance, release of cytokines (molecules also seen in diabetes), and oxidation reactions, all appear to be related to it. Currently, measures to prevent the condition include:

• normalizing weight,
• eating a nutritious, low-fat diet,
• getting enough exercise,
• avoiding alcohol, and
• avoiding medications that are not absolutely necessary.

Various treatments for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are under study. Metformin, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone, selenium, vitamin E, and betaine are all possibilities, but prevention is always better than treatment, so follow a plan to stay in good health.

Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. It need not slowly and inevitably get worse. You can take control of the disease... and take back your life. It starts with you...


For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body.
The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

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