This disease has several names: soda disease, fatty liver disease, or more abbreviated “NASH”, but designates one and the same disorder: non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. This is where its acronym “NASH” comes from, for “ Non alcoholic steatoHepatitis “. “Hepatitis” herein refers to the liver.

It is a chronic type disease, that is to say one which evolves during the patient’s life. It is nicknamed “fatty liver disease” not because it would be caught by consuming this Christmas aperitif, but because it is the patient’s liver which is surrounded by a large layer of fat. This layer can go up to represent 5% of the total mass of the liver, which then leads to inflammation, cirrhosis and cancer of the liver.

Fatty liver disease affects more than 200 people in France according to the recent “Constances” study.

The role of the liver

In the body, the liver is an organ whose role is to filter the blood in order to remove its residues, to design proteins useful for other organs, and especially to store fat.

Patients with fatty liver are usually those who drink a lot of alcohol. Here, in the case of NASH, it is the same disorder but without the alcoholic origin. As a reminder, we talk about high alcohol consumption when we drink more than two drinks a day for women and three glasses per day for men.

If you do not consume so much alcohol, it is because steatohepatitis is not of alcoholic origin and can result from another dysfunction of the body:

Obesity and lifestyle

Obese patients, that is to say excessively overweight, are more likely to develop fatty liver because of the excess fat in the body, which no longer knows where to store it. Excessive consumption of sugars and fats can thus lead to “soda disease”, a term that comes from many (too) sweet drinks.

Diabetes

We observe the symptoms of NASH in some patients with type 2 diabetes. This disorder causes an imbalance in the management of fats and sugars in the body, which can therefore be found around the liver.

“Fatty” liver is not in itself a disorder, but the ailments it causes can be more problematic.

Inflammation of the liver hepatitis

This is usually the first stage of NASH: inflammation of the liver. Its tissues, now covered with fat, will deteriorate, risking tearing over time. Because if nothing is done, the ignition can only increase in size, like a fire that has not been extinguished.

Cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is one of the most serious diseases of the liver. It designates the destruction of an increasing number of its liver cells, which will create a hepatic fibrosis, an accumulation of tissue where cells are destroyed. Cirrhosis is a process irreversible, the liver will not be able to return to its natural state. However, we can stop it and live properly with an impaired liver, by limiting the consumption of risky products (and especially alcohol).

Cardiovascular illnesses

Damage to the liver in the body can lead to cardiovascular consequences.

Liver cancer

As a result of the destruction of its cells, the liver can develop cancer, which is the accumulation of abnormal cells where hepatitis cells are destroyed. Liver cancer often requires a transplant because it remains difficult to curb the effects without completely destroying it.

The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the more chance the patient will have of limiting the consequences, or even eliminating the effects. Unfortunately, this disorder is not as obvious as others and can be pernicious, so it must first be realized before you can hope to be cured.

Often, the disorder is spotted as a result of pain related to the inflammation of the liver, and a visit to the doctor to confirm the diagnosis. This will be supplemented by an examination of the liver and a blood test (to check the level of sugar, blood glucose). Until confirming the diagnosis by ultrasound with the hepatologist, the liver specialist.

No miracle cure right now

At present, treatments against NASH are limited to controlling its consequences, but if the disease is too advanced it will be difficult to treat it. On the side of drugs, various compounds, such as statins and metformin, seem to have a positive impact on the course of the disease. However, they cannot restore the alterations already made.

Liver transplant as a last resort

It is the treatment of last resort for the most severe patients: outright transplantation, to replace the diseased liver with a healthy liver.

Better safe than sorry, especially in the case of the liver. Because once certain cells are affected, they will never return to their natural form. 

Reduction of sugars and fats

The best way to limit the accumulation of fat around the liver is … to cut off the supply. That is to say, avoid foods that are too fatty and too sweet: therefore sodas, but also foods too rich in carbohydrates, unless you spend them in the hours that follow through sustained physical activity.

Omega-3 consumption

In order to prevent the effects of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, it is also recommended to consume more Omega-3. At this stage, the liver can still return to its normal state if the diet is followed scrupulously, and it will have little or no damage.