As its name suggests, fatty liver disease is a condition that occurs due to a build-up of fat in the liver.
Also known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, it is often symptomless in its early stages. However, after years of damage it can cause the liver to become scarred and lumpy.
Eventually fatty liver disease can progress to cirrhosis, which can lead to liver failure, cancer and even death.
But there could be other potential health risks associated with the disease, research has found. According to a study from Sweden, people with fatty liver disease are more likely to develop dementia.
And this risk was even higher for people with fatty liver disease who also have heart disease or have had a stroke.
The study, published in Neurology journal, found that five percent of the people with fatty liver disease were diagnosed with dementia, compared to 4.6 percent of the people without liver disease.
Adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, the findings showed that people with fatty liver disease had a much higher rate of dementia.
More specifically, fatty liver disease was linked to higher risk for vascular dementia (caused by reduced blood flow to the brain), but not Alzheimer’s disease.
People with liver disease who also had heart disease or stroke had much greater risk of developing dementia.
Commenting on the findings, Dr Rosa Sancho – head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is often underdiagnosed because people do not always display symptoms so this study could be underestimating the strength of the link to dementia.
“This form of liver disease and dementia share many common risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
“Future studies will need to explore the mechanisms underlying the link between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and dementia.
“This finding highlights the fact that our brains don’t operate in isolation from the rest of our body and improving our physical health can help to reduce our risk of dementia and support a healthy brain.
“Current evidence suggests that being physical and mentally active, staying socially connected, not smoking, only drinking in moderation, eating a balanced diet, and keeping cholesterol and blood pressure levels in check can all play a part in improving brain health.”
Symptoms
As mentioned, fatty liver disease does not typically present with symptoms in the early stages.
However, if it progresses it can cause:
- A dull or aching pain in the top right of the tummy (over the lower right side of the ribs)
- Extreme tiredness
- Unexplained weight loss
- Weakness.
If it reaches cirrhosis – the most serious stage of liver disease – the symptoms could become more severe.
The NHS lists signs of cirrhosis as yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice), itchy skin, and swelling in the legs, ankles, feet or tummy (oedema).
To avoid developing a fatty liver, the health services recommend you:
- Lose weight – you should aim for a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 (use the BMI calculator to work out your BMI); losing more than 10 percent of your weight can remove some fat from the liver and improve non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) if you have it
- Eat a healthy diet – try to have a balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables, protein and carbohydrates, but low in fat, sugar and salt; eating smaller portions of food can help, too
- Have water instead of sweet drinks
- Exercise regularly – aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as walking or cycling, a week; all types of exercise can help improve NAFLD, even if you do not lose weight
- Stop smoking – if you smoke, stopping can help reduce your risk of problems such as heart attacks and strokes.
If you experience any symptoms of fatty liver disease you should speak to your GP.