Fatty Liver Disease

Subject : Science and technology

Section: health

Concept :

A high-quality study showed that inadequate sleep duration was strongly associated with an elevated risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and adequate sleep helped prevent it.
Several experiments on lab mice and rats have shown the impact of inadequate sleep which increased Liver enzymes, blood, and liver fat.
Sleep deprivation stresses liver cells and the activity of certain genes that escalate insulin resistance and fat content within liver cells also increased with sleep deprivation.
The sympathetic nerves that supplied the liver, best known for their role in responding to stress and danger, were hyperactive in sleep deprived people.
With every one-hour decrease in sleep time from the recommended seven-eight hours, the risk of fat deposition in the liver increased by 24% compared with those who slept adequately.
Importance of sleep:
Sleep is a vital function of human life and accounts for up to one-third of the lifespan. Contrary to normal belief, during sleep, the brain is not ‘resting’ but is engaged in various activities necessary to improve well-being, increase life, and especially impact the liver.
A study of nearly 55,500 people from Europe showed that those who slept 7-8.5 hours daily had higher life expectancy than those who slept less than seven hours.
In those between ages 50 and 75 without sleep disturbances, the expectation of living longer without chronic disease development was significantly higher.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella term for a range of liver conditions affecting people who drink little to no alcohol.
The main characteristic of NAFLD is too much fat stored in liver cells.
Early-stage NAFLD does not usually cause any harm, however, individuals with NAFLD can develop nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an aggressive form of fatty liver disease, which is marked by liver inflammation and may progress to advanced scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure.
This damage is similar to the damage caused by heavy alcohol use.
Having high levels of fat in the liver is also associated with an increased risk of serious health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease.
Increase in NAFLD in diabetic patients will heighten the chances of developing heart problems.
If detected and managed at an early stage, it’s possible to stop NAFLD getting worse and reduce the amount of fat in the liver.