How To Unfatty A Fatty Liver

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How To Unfatty A Fatty Liver

In Greek mythology, Prometheus suffered the punishment of being chained to a rock, where he would have his liver eaten by an eagle, whereupon each day his liver would grow back, only to be eaten again the next day.

We mere humans who are not Greek gods might not be able to endure quite such punishment to our liver, but it is an incredibly resilient and self-regenerative organ.

In fact, provided at least 51% of the liver is still present and correct, the other 49% will regrow. Similarly, damage done (such as by trying to store too much fat there due to metabolic problems, as in alcoholic or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) will reverse itself in time, given the chance.

The difference between us and Prometheus

In the myth, Prometheus had his liver regrow overnight every night. Ours don’t recover quite so quickly.

Indeed, the science has good and bad news for us:

❝Liver recolonization models have demonstrated that hepatocytes have an unlimited regenerative capacity. However, in normal liver, cell turnover is very slow.❞

~ Michalopoulos and Bhusan (2020)

Read more: Liver regeneration: biological and pathological mechanisms and implications

If it regenerates, why do people need transplants, and/or die of liver disease?

There are some diseases of the liver that inhibit its regenerative abilities, or (as in the case of cancer) abuse them to our detriment. However, in the case of fatty liver disease, the reason is usually simple:

If the lifestyle factors that caused the liver to become fatty are still there, then its regenerative abilities won’t be able to keep up with the damage that is still being done.

Can we speed it up at all?

Yes! The first and most important thing is to minimize how much ongoing harm you are still doing to it, though.

  • If you drink alcohol, stop. According to the WHO, the only amount of alcohol that is safe for you is zero.
  • Consider your medications, and find out which place a strain on the liver. Many medications are not optional; you’re taking them for an important reason, so don’t quit things without checking with your doctor. Medications that strain the liver include, but are by no means limited to:
    • Many painkillers, including acetaminophen/paracetamol (e.g. Tylenol), and ibuprofen
    • Some immunosuppresent drugs, including azathioprine
    • Some epilepsy drugs, including phenytoin
    • Some antibiotics, including amoxicillin
    • Statins in general

Note: we are not pharmacists, nor doctors, let alone your doctors.

Check with yours about what is important for you to take, and what alternatives might be safe for you to consider.

Dietary considerations

While there are still things we don’t know about the cause(s) of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, there is a very strong association with a diet that is:

  • high in salt
  • high in refined carbohydrates
    • e.g. white flour and white flour products such as white bread and white pasta; also the other main refined carbohydrate: sugar
  • high in red meat
  • high in non-fermented dairy
  • high in fried foods.

So, consider minimizing those, and instead getting plenty of fiber, and plenty of lean protein (not from red meat, but poultry and fish are fine iff not fried; beans and legumes are top-tier, though).

Also, hydrate. Most people are dehydrated most of the time, and that’s bad for all parts of the body, and the liver is no exception. It can’t regenerate if it’s running on empty!

Read more: Foods To Include (And Avoid) In A Healthy Liver Diet

How long will it take to heal?

In the case of alcoholic fatty liver disease, it should start healing a few days after stopping drinking. Then, how long it takes to fully recover depends on the extent of the damage; it could be weeks or months. In extreme cases, years, but that is rare. Usually if the damage is that severe, a transplant is needed.

In the case of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, again it depends on the extent of the damage, but it is usually a quicker recovery than the alcoholic kind—especially if eating a Mediterranean diet.

Read more: How Long Does It Take For Your Liver To Repair Itself?

Take good care of yourself!

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  • Cashew Nuts vs Coconut – Which is Healthier?

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    Our Verdict

    When comparing cashew nuts to coconut, we picked the cashews.

    Why?

    It can be argued this isn’t a fair comparison, as coconuts aren’t true nuts, but it’s at the very least a useful comparison, because they have very similar (often the same) culinary uses, so deciding between one or the other is something people will often do.

    In terms of macros, cashews have 6x the protein and more than 2x the fiber, as well as slightly more fat (but the fats are healthy, as are those of coconut, by the way) and 2x the carbs. Depending on what you’re looking for, this head-to-head could come out differently, but we say it’s a win for cashews.

    You may be wondering: if cashews have more of all those things, what are coconuts made of? And the answer is that coconuts have 8x the water (and yes, this is counting the coconut meat only, not including the milk inside). Of course, if you get dessicated coconut, then it won’t have that, but we’re comparing fresh to fresh.

    In the category of vitamins, cashews have a lot more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, E, and K. Meanwhile, coconut has more vitamin C, but it’s not a lot. An easy win for cashews here.

    When it comes to minerals, cashews have rather more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. On the other hand, coconut has more sodium. Another easy win for cashews.

    Cashews also have the lower glycemic index.

    All in all, cashews win the day.

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    Take care!

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  • What Happens To Your Body When You Plank 1 Minute Every Day

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Planks improve strength, flexibility, balance, posture, reduce chronic back pain, lower blood pressure, and enhance physique. But can we really get benefits from just 1 minute per day?

    To the core

    The benefits that can be expected, according to the science cited in this video, include:

    • Within 2–3 weeks, daily planking of just 1 minute per day activates deep core muscles, enhancing balance, which helps in everyday tasks and prevents muscle imbalances.
    • Strengthening core muscles through planks also helps alleviate lower back pain, with research supporting its effectiveness within 3 weeks.
    • Posture is important for good health, and planks align the spine and hips, improving posture naturally, which also helps alleviate back issues. So, there’s a good kind of synergy to this exercise.
    • Of course, many people exercising have the goal of a more toned body; regular planking leads to a toned core, sculpted shoulders, and leaner legs.
    • For those who care more about mobility, though, planking enhances flexibility in hamstrings, feet, and toes within 4–6 weeks.
    • Anything else? Yes, isometric exercises like planks are highly effective at reducing blood pressure, and, counterintuitively, more so than aerobic exercises.

    The video also looks at a study in which participants did 20 minutes per day instead of 1, which predictably also significantly improved strength, endurance, flexibility, and reduced body fat.

    However, another study cited gives the stats for just 1 minute daily, and that was not even a whole minute, so much as 30 seconds hold, 1 minute rest, 30 seconds hold—and still showed very good improvements.

    For more on all this, plus links to three studies mentioned in the video, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    Isometric Exercises That Are Good If You Have Osteoporosis (or if you don’t, but the point is, they are safe and beneficial for people with osteoporosis)

    Take care!

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  • Brown Rice Protein: Strengths & Weaknesses

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!

    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝I had a friend mention that recent research showed Brown Rice Protein Powder can be bad for you, possibly impacting your nutrient absorption. Is this true? I’ve been using it given it’s one of the few plant-based proteins with a full essential amino acid profile!❞

    Firstly: we couldn’t find anything to corroborate the “brown rice protein powder [adversely] impacts nutrient absorption” idea, but we suspect that the reason for this belief is: brown rice (not brown rice protein powder) contains phytic acid, which is something of an antinutrient, in that it indeed reduces absorption of various other nutrients.

    However, two things are important to note here:

    1. the phytic acid is found in whole grains, not in protein isolates as found in brown rice protein powder. The protein isolates contain protein… Isolated. No phytates!
    2. even in the case of eating whole grain rice, the phytic acid content is greatly reduced by two things: soaking and heating (especially if those two things are combined) ← doing this the way described results in bioavailability of nutrients that’s even better than if there were just no phytic acid, albeit it requires you having the time to soak, and do so at temperature.

    tl;dr = no, it’s not true, unless there truly is some groundbreaking new research we couldn’t find—it was almost certainly a case of an understandable confusion about phytic acid.

    Your question does give us one other thing to mention though:

    Brown rice indeed technically contains all 9 essential amino acids, but it’s very low in several of them, most notably lysine.

    However, if you use our Tasty Versatile Rice Recipe, the chia seeds we added to the rice have 100x the lysine that brown rice does, and the black pepper also boosts nutrient absorption.

    Because your brown rice protein powder is a rice protein powder and not simply rice, it’s possible that they’ve tweaked it to overcome rice’s amino acid deficiencies. But, if you’re looking for a plant-based protein powder that is definitely a complete protein, soy is a very good option assuming you’re not allergic to that:

    Amino Acid Compositions Of Soy Protein Isolate

    If you’re wondering where to get it, you can see examples of them next to each other on Amazon here:

    Brown Rice Protein Powder | Soy Protein Isolate Powder

    Enjoy!

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  • Can Medical Schools Funnel More Doctors Into the Primary Care Pipeline?
  • Menopause can bring increased cholesterol levels and other heart risks. Here’s why and what to do about it

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman’s reproductive years, typically between 45 and 55. As women approach or experience menopause, common “change of life” concerns include hot flushes, sweats and mood swings, brain fog and fatigue.

    But many women may not be aware of the long-term effects of menopause on the heart and blood vessels that make up the cardiovascular system. Heart disease accounts for 35% of deaths in women each year – more than all cancers combined.

    What should women – and their doctors – know about these risks?

    Hormones protect hearts – until they don’t

    As early as 1976, the Framingham Heart Study reported more than twice the rates of cardiovascular events in postmenopausal than pre-menopausal women of the same age. Early menopause (younger than age 40) also increases heart risk.

    Before menopause, women tend to be protected by their circulating hormones: oestrogen, to a lesser extent progesterone and low levels of testosterone.

    These sex hormones help to relax and dilate blood vessels, reduce inflammation and improve lipid (cholesterol) levels. From the mid-40s, a decline in these hormone levels can contribute to unfavourable changes in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and weight gain – all risk factors for heart disease.

    Speedkingz/Shutterstock

    4 ways hormone changes impact heart risk

    1. Dyslipidaemia– Menopause often involves atherogenic changes – an unhealthy imbalance of lipids in the blood, with higher levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), dubbed the “bad” cholesterol. There are also reduced levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) – the “good” cholesterol that helps remove LDL-C from blood. These changes are a major risk factor for heart attack or stroke.

    2. Hypertension – Declines in oestrogen and progesterone levels during menopause contribute to narrowing of the large blood vessels on the heart’s surface, arterial stiffness and raise blood pressure.

    3. Weight gain – Females are born with one to two million eggs, which develop in follicles. By the time they stop ovulating in midlife, fewer than 1,000 remain. This depletion progressively changes fat distribution and storage, from the hips to the waist and abdomen. Increased waist circumference (greater than 80–88 cm) has been reported to contribute to heart risk – though it is not the only factor to consider.

    4. Comorbidities – Changes in body composition, sex hormone decline, increased food consumption, weight gain and sedentary lifestyles impair the body’s ability to effectively use insulin. This increases the risk of developing metabolic syndromes such as type 2 diabetes.

    While risk factors apply to both genders, hypertension, smoking, obesity and type 2 diabetes confer a greater relative risk for heart disease in women.

    So, what can women do?

    Every woman has a different level of baseline cardiovascular and metabolic risk pre-menopause. This is based on their genetics and family history, diet, and lifestyle. But all women can reduce their post-menopause heart risk with:

    • regular moderate intensity exercise such as brisk walking, pushing a lawn mower, riding a bike or water aerobics for 30 minutes, four or five times every week
    • a healthy heart diet with smaller portion sizes (try using a smaller plate or bowl) and more low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains
    • plant sterols (unrefined vegetable oil spreads, nuts, seeds and grains) each day. A review of 14 clinical trials found plant sterols, at doses of at least 2 grams a day, produced an average reduction in serum LDL-C (bad cholesterol) of about 9–14%. This could reduce the risk of heart disease by 25% in two years
    • less unhealthy (saturated or trans) fats and more low-fat protein sources (lean meat, poultry, fish – especially oily fish high in omega-3 fatty acids), legumes and low-fat dairy
    • less high-calorie, high-sodium foods such as processed or fast foods
    • a reduction or cessation of smoking (nicotine or cannabis) and alcohol
    • weight-gain management or prevention.
    Women walking together outdoors with exercise clothes and equipment
    Exercise can reduce post-menopause heart disease risk. Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

    What about hormone therapy medications?

    Hormone therapy remains the most effective means of managing hot flushes and night sweats and is beneficial for slowing the loss of bone mineral density.

    The decision to recommend oestrogen alone or a combination of oestrogen plus progesterone hormone therapy depends on whether a woman has had a hysterectomy or not. The choice also depends on whether the hormone therapy benefit outweighs the woman’s disease risks. Where symptoms are bothersome, hormone therapy has favourable or neutral effects on coronary heart disease risk and medication risks are low for healthy women younger than 60 or within ten years of menopause.

    Depending on the level of stroke or heart risk and the response to lifestyle strategies, some women may also require medication management to control high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels. Up until the early 2000s, women were underrepresented in most outcome trials with lipid-lowering medicines.

    The Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration analysed 27 clinical trials of statins (medications commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol) with a total of 174,000 participants, of whom 27% were women. Statins were about as effective in women and men who had similar risk of heart disease in preventing events such as stroke and heart attack.

    Every woman approaching menopause should ask their GP for a 20-minute Heart Health Check to help better understand their risk of a heart attack or stroke and get tailored strategies to reduce it.

    Treasure McGuire, Assistant Director of Pharmacy, Mater Health SEQ in conjoint appointment as Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Bond University and as Associate Professor (Clinical), The University of Queensland

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Shoe Wear Patterns: What They Mean, Why It Matters, & How To Fix It

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    If you look under your shoes, do you notice how the tread is worn more in some places than others? Specific patterns of shoe wear correspond to how our body applies force, weight, and rotational movement. This reveals how we move, and uneven wear can indicate problematic movement dynamics.

    The clues in your shoes

    Common shoe wear patterns include:

    • Diagonal wear on the outside of the heel: caused by foot angle, leg position, and instability, leading to joint stress.
    • Rotational wear at specific points: due to internal or external rotation, often originating from the hip, pelvis, or torso.
    • Wear above the big toe: caused by excessive toe lifting, often associated with a “lighter” or kicking leg.

    Fixing movement issues to prevent wear involves correcting posture, improving balance, and adjusting how the legs land during walking/running.

    Key fixes include:

    • Aligning the center of gravity properly to prevent leg overcompensation.
    • Ensuring feet land under the hips and not far in front.
    • Stabilizing the torso to avoid unnecessary rotation.
    • Engaging the glutes effectively to reduce hip flexor dominance and improve leg mechanics.
    • Maintaining even weight distribution on both legs to prevent excessive lifting or twisting.

    Posture and walking mechanics are vital to reducing uneven wear, but meaningful, lasting change takes time and focused effort, to build new habits.

    For more on all this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    Steps For Keeping Your Feet A Healthy Foundation

    Take care!

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  • Hemp Seeds vs Flax Seeds – Which is Healthier?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Our Verdict

    When comparing hemp seeds to flax seeds, we picked the flax.

    Why?

    Both are great, but quite differently so! In other words, they both have their advantages, but on balance, we prefer the flax’s advantages.

    Part of this come from the way in which they are sold/consumedhemp seeds must be hulled first, which means two things as a result:

    • Flax seeds have much more fiber (about 8x more)
    • Hemp seeds have more protein (about 2x more), proportionally, at least ← this is partly because they lost a bunch of weight by losing their fiber to the hulling, so the “per 100g” values of everything else go up, even though the amount per seed didn’t change

    Since people’s diets are more commonly deficient in fiber than protein, and also since 8x is better than 2x, we consider this a win for flax.

    Of course, many people enjoy hemp or flax specifically for the healthy fatty acids, so how do they stack up in that regard?

    • Flax seeds have more omega-3s
    • Hemp seeds have more omega-6s

    This, for us, is a win for flax too, as the omega-3s are generally what we need more likely to be deficient in. Hemp enthusiasts, however, may argue that the internal balance of omega-3s to omega-6s is closer to an ideal ratio in hemp—but nutrition doesn’t exist in a vacuum, so we have to consider things “as part of a balanced diet” (because if one were trying to just live on hemp seeds, one would die), and most people’s diets are skewed far too far in favor or omega-6 compared to omega-3. So for most people, the higher levels of omega-3s are the more useful.

    Want to learn more?

    Take care!

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