The Incidence Of This Preventable Disease Is On The Rise

Everyone is healthy, right up until they get a diagnosis that they aren't. I try to impress upon my patients the importance of preventative health. Maintaining optimal health is much easier than getting back to optimal health. Like the old adage says, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

According to the American Liver Foundation, 25% of Americans suffer from Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and most aren't even aware they are they have this issues. Broken down by age that means 30-40% of Americans and 10% of adolescents are suffering from this condition. What is it? How do you get it? What can we do about it?

What Is NAFLD?

NAFLD is the the over-accumulation of triglycerides and other fats in the cells of the liver. Generally, there is supposed to be some fat in the liver however, when the amount exceeds 5-10% this is considered fatty liver disease.

The liver is the second largest organ in the body and is responsible for processing what you eat and drink into energy and nutrients from food. It is also responsible for removing harmful substances from the blood. This is obviously an organ you want functioning at peak performance at all times.