What Causes Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease?

A healthy liver contains a limited amount of fat. When fat accumulates in the liver to the tune of over five percent of its weight, it is a fatty liver. A fatty liver can induce an inflammatory response, which causes liver tissue damage. The body repairs this damage with scar tissue, which can progress to cirrhosis and cause the liver to fail. Symptoms of fatty liver disease typically do not manifest until late-stage liver scarring. Most cases are discovered with a routine blood test or when the liver appears abnormal on imaging tests conducted for other reasons. To confirm the diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, further blood tests, more imaging tests, and a liver biopsy may be performed. Treatment focuses on preventing further liver damage and failure.

Learn about the major causes of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease now.

Obesity

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in an individual can be caused by their obesity. Only ten to fifteen percent of individuals who have a healthy range body mass index have this disease. whereas seventy percent of individuals who have a body mass index considered obese have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Excess fat is deemed to be the most prevalent proven cause for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in obese individuals. Individuals who are obese consume large amounts of fat, have a body that produces an excess amount of fat, or a body that cannot metabolize fats very efficiently. When an individual consumes more fat than their body requires and can metabolize, the excess fats are put into liver cells for storage. More fat tissue in the liver due to obesity makes an individual more likely to have an adverse immune reaction to the extra fat, which can cause liver damage. Any mechanism that puts more fat in the body than what is needed can cause obesity and fat deposition in liver cells, resulting in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Uncover more causes of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease now.

Hyperglycemia

Chronic states of hyperglycemia in an individual can cause them to develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hyperglycemia is defined by an elevated level of sugar in the blood. When large amounts of sugar are consumed, the intestines absorb it into the bloodstream and blood glucose levels rise. As blood sugar rises, insulin is secreted by the pancreas to transport the glucose to numerous body tissues, including muscle and liver cells. Once glucose reaches the liver, it is converted into triglycerides. The triglycerides hang around in the liver and some are transported to the adipose tissue or fat tissue around the body for storage. Frequent states of high blood sugar cause this process to repeat itself excessively, producing significant amounts of fat. Glucose builds up in the blood when the liver is not able to metabolize the consumed sugars into fat fast enough. This occurs when the cells have become resistant to insulin. Fat accumulates in the liver because the adipose tissues become maxed out and deposit fat back into circulation, where it goes back to the liver. This mechanism is what causes an individual with hyperglycemia to develop nonalcoholic liver disease.

Keep reading to learn more about the causes of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease now.

Insulin Resistance

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can be caused by insulin resistance in an affected individual. Insulin is a hormone the pancreas produces that moves glucose in the blood to the cells that need it to produce energy. Insulin resistance occurs due to several mechanisms and means the cells do not respond appropriately to rising levels of insulin. The pancreas has to make larger amounts of insulin to remove sugar from the blood effectively. After repeating this process over time, the pancreas will no longer be able to produce enough insulin to manage blood sugar levels in a healthy range. Insulin is important to reduce the activity of a compound required for the adipose cells to release the fatty acids stored within them. In states of starvation, the process of fat release, transport, and conversion to glucose in the liver is imperative. However, insulin resistance in non-fasting states causes adipose tissues to release fats back into the blood when the amount of fat exceeds a certain level. The extra fat is then taken up by the muscles and redeposited in the liver, which can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Get more details on the causes of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease now.

High Triglycerides

High triglycerides have been implicated as the cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in some individuals. Triglycerides are a type of fat unused calories are converted into so they can be stored until the energy is needed later. High triglycerides in the blood are indicative of a building resistance to insulin. Extra sugars and calories are converted and stored in fat cells as triglycerides until the body needs them. In certain circumstances where the body needs them, a mechanism is used to release the triglycerides from the fat tissues so they can be converted to glucose for energy. Insulin is responsible for stopping the inappropriate release of triglycerides from the adipose cells into the blood. However, when the fat cells ignore the actions of insulin, triglyceride levels in the blood rise because they cannot be successfully contained within adipose tissue. The elevated triglycerides in the blood begin depositing in liver cells since they have nowhere to go. When the levels of triglycerides are elevated in the blood, it indicates an excess amount of fat that is not being metabolized properly, stored correctly, or otherwise dealt with. High triglycerides are common in individuals who have chronic high blood sugar.

Discover additional nonalcoholic fatty liver disease causes now.

High Cholesterol

An individual's nonalcoholic fatty liver disease can be caused by their high cholesterol levels. There are two different kinds of cholesterol found in an individual's body. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is the type that binds with other types of fat and often results in the development of plaque in the blood vessels. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol helps move low-density lipoprotein out of the blood vessels. The liver functions to manage cholesterol by synthesizing it so it can be transported to other cells, but it also removes excess cholesterol from the body. The liver does so by converting the cholesterol to a substance called bile salts, which is then synthesized into bile. Bile moves into the gallbladder and then the intestine when it is needed for digestion, and the remnants of the bile following digestion are expelled via the stool. The liver produces the cholesterol the body needs, so dietary cholesterol contributes to excess. When cholesterol is being consumed faster than the liver can recycle it, the cholesterol builds up in the cells of the liver. This mechanism can result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.