Social media-famous doctor Cyriac Abby Philips, aka The Liver Doc, known for suggesting tips and precautionary methods to people suffering from fatty liver, took to Instagram recently to share 5 tips to include in your daily lifestyle habits that can help you reverse or reduce the disease.
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He shared the clip on Instagram with the caption, “Here are 5 important points you can include in your daily routine to reduce/reverse fatty liver.” The Liver Doc added that all the suggestions were evidence-based and even provided scientific sources for each point in his video. Let’s take a look at what he suggested:
5 ways to reverse fatty liver disease
1. Black coffee without sugar
Drinking black coffee without sugar – a minimum of 3 cups daily, using 5 grams of instant coffee or 10 grams of brewed coffee per cup – can help you reduce or reverse fatty liver disease.
2. Aerobic exercises
Aerobic exercises are another way to reverse the disease. He suggested doing moderate-intensity workouts, such as brisk walks, gardening, cycling, or running, for a minimum of 150 minutes per week. Check out his guide on how exercise helps when you have a fatty liver here.
3. Sleep
One should sleep a minimum of 7 hours and a maximum of 8 hours per day if they want to reduce fatty liver disease. According to The Liver Doc, anything more can negatively affect you.
4. Mediterranean diet
Per the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Mediterranean diet (MD) is low in saturated fats and animal protein, high in antioxidants and fibres, and with an adequate omega-3 to omega-6 fatty balance. It has been suggested to be effective in NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).
As per The Liver Doc, too, following a Mediterranean diet, which emphasises fruits and vegetables, and a predominantly plant-based diet with less processed and ultra-processed meats can help with the disease. “There should be some calorie deficit and an increase in unsaturated fatty acids in this diet,” he added.
5. Hypocaloric dietary intervention
Showing an example of how to implement a hypocaloric dietary intervention for fatty liver, The Liver Doc explained, “The ideal carbohydrate-to-fat-to-protein ratio should be approximately 50-60:20-25:20-25.” He added that you can obtain 30 percent of fat from seed oils, primarily unsaturated fats, and 10 percent from other sources such as dairy, meats, and nuts.
“These 5 points will help you reverse fatty liver along with the management of other metabolic diseases,” he concluded.
Lastly, he mentioned that if you are consuming unprocessed/fresh, red meats, have it 1-2 times a week and not more than 500g in a week. This is as per the Indian ICMR Nutrition Guidelines for the Indian population. Meanwhile, processed and ultra-processed meats are found to be associated with various negative clinical outcomes, including liver and cardiovascular diseases. “This does not mean you have to avoid processed meats, but can enjoy these on occasions, but not weekly,” he said.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.