How to enjoy delicious food and reduce the risk of complications of fatty liver disease

Nutrition researchers have discovered a key way for people with this disease to improve their health. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has been linked to obesity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy good food. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that fasting between holidays effectively improves health.

Holidays meant that participants could eat without restriction; meanwhile, on fasting days, they had to consume 500 calories or less.

People who followed a fasting diet along with frequent exercise experienced increased insulin sensitivity and decreased weight and liver fat.

College of Applied Health Sciences Professor of Nutrients Christa Varadi commented on the findings.

Prof Varadi said: “When we compared the results of our study groups, we clearly saw that the greatest improvement in patients was in the group that followed an alternating diet and exercised five days a week.

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“People who only dieted or only exercised didn’t see the same improvements, which reinforces the importance of these two relatively inexpensive lifestyle modifications for overall health and for combating chronic diseases such as fatty liver disease.”

The three-month study involved 80 people suffering from non-alcoholic fatty disease.

Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups:

1. Fasting group every other day
2. Aerobic exercise group
3. United group
4. Control group.

In the diet groups, participants tracked their food intake, while participants in the exercise groups used an elliptical trainer in Varadi’s lab for one hour five days a week.

The best way to prevent further health complications is to make “healthy lifestyle choices.”

It is clear from the study mentioned earlier that frequent exercise is a key component in reducing adverse health outcomes.

“You should aim for BMI [body mass index] 18.5-24.9,” says the NHS, starting with the idea that losing weight can help remove fat from the liver.

The NHS specifies: “Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity, such as walking or cycling, per week.”

The research article is available in the journal Cell Metabolism.