  Fatty liver (Fig. 2) is caused by the repeat of too much eating and drinking. Fat stored in the liver disturbs a long-healthy life. 20 % of people who had had fatty liver developed type II diabetes within 10 years. Leaving fatty liver as it is makes the risk of stroke and heart attack double. In addition, in the case of men, the risk of developing colon cancer will be double and in the case of women, the risk of developing breast cancer will be double. But it has turned out that there is food preventing and improving fatty liver. The food is soy (Fig. 3). Protein contained in soy acts on the liver, leading to secreting a hormone called FGF21 which burns extra neutral fat stored in the liver. FGF21 is also expected to improve blood sugar, neutral fat and cholesterol. How much soy products do we need to eat? If you eat 100 grams of soy a day, the improvement of fatty liver can be expected. Experiment A 43 years old female whose fat in the liver had been 60 % (referenced value: 5 %) tried to eat more than 100 grams of soy products a day for a week. The amount of soy contained in soy products: A pack of Natto: 25 grams A piece of Tofu: 80 grams A piece of Aburaage (deep-fried bean curd): 7 grams A cup of Miso soup: 5 grams A cup of Soy milk: 12 grams After a week of the experiment, her fat in the liver became less than 5 % (referenced value: 5 %). 
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The liver is the biggest organ in our body. According to a research published on a medical journal in Europe, people whose liver function is declined have about 2 times the risk of heart attack and stroke, and in the case of men, have 2 times the risk of colon cancer and in the case of women, have 2 times the risk of breast cancer. So it is important to keep the liver healthy to extend a healthy life expectancy. There is nutrition that stops the aging of the liver and rejuvenates the liver The famous foods good for the liver are turmeric and freshwater clam (Shijimi). The liver has more than 200 functions such as detoxification, synthesis of nutrition, etc. The most important characteristic of the liver is the ability of regeneration. The liver can be restored within a couple of months even if the two third of it has been removed. Fibrosis of the liver The function of the liver is to produce the contents of blood. The nutrition required for the body is produced in the liver and is delivered all over the body. But if inflammation occurs in the liver for some reason, the liver forms fibrous tissue to restore it. Fibrosis is like a scab so that the liver gradually becomes hard, the liver function declines and can’t deliver nutrition all over the body, causing symptoms like tiredness, heavy feeling or swelling. Fibrosis of the liver occurs regardless of drinking alcohol. Fig. 1 shows a healthy liver that is red and smooth. Fig. 2 shows a liver that fibrosis is progressed, which is rugged like a stone. Fibrosis of the liver has 4 stages. Stage 1 has 1.6 times the risk of death and Stage 4 has about 7 times the risk of death. But if the stage is less than Stage 3 that has 3.5 times the risk of death, it can be restored to the soft condition by taking “A Nutrition”. Major causes of fibrosis of the liver are overeating and lack of exercise Overeating and lack of exercise increase visceral fat and the amount of the liver fat is proportional to the amount of visceral fat. The fat stored in the liver produces substances to cause inflammation. If this condition continues for a long time, the liver becomes fibrous. Nutrition that prevents and improves fibrosis of the liver The nutrition that stops the aging of the liver is Vitamin E. The food containing a lot of vitamin E is an almond. Vitamin E is one of nutrition that is expected to suppress the aging of the body. Vitamin E suppresses the inflammation caused by the fat in the liver and the ability of regeneration is recovered. How much improvement of fibrous liver can be expected by taking vitamin E? According to a research, the liver that was seriously fibrous was improved by taking 300 mg of vitamin E per day, which was 1000 pieces of almonds. If the liver is mildly fibrous, adding the foods with vitamin E to every meal is expected to be effective. People with fibrous liver tend not to chew well. Increasing number of chewing deceases calorie intake, leading to not eating between meals. Chewing 30 times per a spoon suppresses calorie intake. Experiment How much fibrous liver can be improved in a week by: (1) Chewing more than 30 times a spoon (2) Adding foods rich in vitamin E Food rich in vitamin E: Almond, mayonnaise, Japanese yam (Fig. 3: This amount contains the same amount of vitamin E as about 10 pieces of almonds), paprika, Sencha tea leaves (Fig. 4) 2 table spoons of Sencha tea leaves contain the same amount of vitamin E as about 30 pieces of almonds. You can take only little amount of vitamin E by drinking Sencha tea, so it is important to eat Sencha tea leaves that have been used for drinking tea. A 76 years old female whose liver’s fibrosis was Stage 1 tried the above 2 things for a week. The result is shown in Fig. 5 and 6. Before the experiment, her liver was a little hard, which was Stage 1 and there were green portions that indicated fibrosis, but after the experiment, green portion in her liver decreased.      
GGT (Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase) is used as a diagnostic marker for liver disease, but even if GGT is within the reference range, it is possible to have serious liver disease.
The disease is NASH (Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis). NASH is the most extreme form of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Most people have few or no symptoms except fatigue, malaise or low appetite so when it is found, there is a progressed case. 5-20% of people who were diagnosed as NASH will have cirrhosis within 5 to 10 years and in 5 years, at most, 15% of people who had cirrhosis will have liver cancer. The cause of NASH is fatty liver which is the condition that a lot of fat is accumulated in liver. There are two main causes of fatty liver disease. 1. Drinking too much alcohol. Liver puts priority on the metabolism of alcohol which is high in toxicity, postponing the metabolism of fat. As a result, the postponed fat is stored in liver. 2. Obesity caused by lack of exercise and disordered eating habit. If your weight is gained by 20 kg (45 lbs.) compared to the weight of when you were age of 20s, you should have visceral fat in addition to fat around your body and it is no wonder that you have fat in your liver. Foods good for liver Natto: high protein and low fat Squid and octopus: a lot of taurine which encourages reproduce of liver cells Edamame: contains inositol which suppresses liver’s fat synthesis so prevents the progression of fatty liver. Also it contains vitamin and mineral a lot. Adlay (Job’s tear): strengthens the function of liver’s detoxification and cleanses the skin. Paprika: contains β-carotene which has the function of strong anti-oxidation and prevents fibrosis of liver becoming vitamin A in our body, leading to prevention of cirrhosis.  Hand If there is redness with a little bit of swelling on finger joints, that could be caused by Dermatomyositis which is systemic autoimmune disease. Immune system behaves abnormally, attacking healthy cells. If it progresses, the muscles of the whole body get damaged and in some cases, the patients become unable to walk. This disease tends to start with around finger joints.  If there is redness under the thumb and the little finger, you may have Chronic Hepatitis (inflammation of liver). Liver controls the amount of female hormone related to the widening of blood vessels. Chronic hepatitis causes imbalance of the female hormone, leading to the widening of blood vessels. By the increase of blood flow, under the thumb and little finger where a lot of capillaries gather become red. There is a risk that it will progress to cirrhosis (of the liver). If you find the redness in these area, it is recommended to consult a gastroenterologist. |
IchiroThis Blog is for a memo of my clinical realizations, information about health I have learned recently and update information. Archives
April 2024
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