Kolkata kids susceptible to liver ailments

Kids and their parents should be careful. The next time the kids gorge on junk food, the parents and children should keep in mind that those burgers and rolls are pushing their liver in a wrong direction. According to a study conducted by Diabetes Awareness and You (DAY) - a platform of clinical specialists - children in Kolkata now have a weaker liver and are more prone to diseases than they were 15 years ago. An alarming 12-15% of kids and adolescents between 12 and 16 years of age suffer from fatty liver. It can eventually lead to more serious and life-threatening ailments like cirrhosis and liver cancer. While fat-rich food and a sedentary lifestyle are being blamed for the threat, doctors warn that liver diseases could be the second most common ailment in the city, after diabetes, in another 15 years.

Conducted across 23 up-market schools in Kolkata, the study involved a routine SGPT test, which provided a shocking result. It showed that 12-15% had signs of fatty liver. A majority of these children were obese as well. It confirms the worst fears about the impact of fast food and aerated drinks. Coupled with lack of exercises, these have started taking a heavy toll on the health of children. Over the years, many of them are likely to suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or cirrhosis of liver. They will also be more prone to jaundice.

The study also revealed that children suffering from fatty liver consumed more packaged food and carbonated drinks than the rest. On an average, they had less than 30 minutes of physical activity per day. According to health experts, fatty liver was the major cause of cirrhosis among adults. Change in food habits over the last 10-12 years is now taking a toll on young adults. Those in their early or mid-thirties are often suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) that was quite rare a decade ago. Unless treated on time, this can lead to liver cirrhosis.

NAFLD heightens the risk of cardio-vascular diseases. Build-up of fat cells within the liver leads to NAFLD. Over a period of time, it can damage liver tissues. Unless controlled, it eventually leads to cirrhosis. Unlike 10-15 years ago, when cirrhosis or NAFLD patients would be above 50 years of age, now people across all age groups are falling prey. In many cases, the disease is being detected at an acute stage which means it had set in at a very young age.

It is difficult to identify fatty liver at an initial stage, experts said. There are hardly any symptoms till the disease takes on an acute form. So obesity or a sudden weight gain needs to be taken seriously. Overweight children are more likely to have fat deposits in the liver. Till now, it goes undetected in most cases. The result is that these patients end up with multiple diseases like cardiac disorders, blood sugar, obesity and liver failure at a later age. Usually, this cluster is a constellation and one leads to another. Unless dealt with at the earliest, we can't prevent them.

Fatty liver is not unusual even among children as young as six to eight years. Accordingly to the experts, ten years ago, it would be very rare, but no longer. Overweight children often have fat deposits in the liver and junk food is squarely responsible for this.

Fatty liver disease on the surge in Philippines

IF Filipinos don’t watch out, the country may face an epidemic of fatty liver disease.  That is, if those overweight people will not start losing weight.

About 26.6 percent of Filipinos today are already overweight, a large increase from 16.6 percent reported in 1993.  Being overweight increases a person’s chances of becoming obese later in life.

For most people, the condition of being overweight is easy to recognize.  But medically, a distinction is made between being overweight and being obese.  The body mass index (BMI) is used to define these conditions.  BMI is weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in meters squared).  Overweight is defined as a BMI of 25 to 29.9, and obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or more.

Body composition—the percentage of fat and muscle in the body—is also considered when obesity is defined. Women who have more than 30 percent body fat or men who have more than 25 percent body fat are considered obese.

A few years back, the Philippines was ranked third as having the “fattest people” in Asia—after Malaysia and Singapore.  At that time, about 500,000 Filipinos were classified as obese.

Due to the rising cases of obesity and of being overweight, the region may soon face an epidemic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Fatty liver is the accumulation of fat in liver cells; it is also called steatosis.  Aside from drinking alcohol and obesity, other common causes of fatty liver are diabetes and elevated serum triglyceride levels.  Malnutrition, hereditary disorders of metabolism (such as the glycogen storage diseases) and drugs (like corticosteroids, tetracycline and aspirin) have also been reported to cause fatty liver.

The mechanism by which these diseases or factors cause fat to accumulate within liver cells is not known. One possible explanation is that these diseases or factors slow the rate at which fat is processed [metabolized] and excreted by the body.  The resulting buildup of fat within the body, according to this theory, is then stored inside the liver cells.

Sometimes the cause of fatty liver is not clear, especially when it occurs in newborns; however, it is likely to be a defect in the so-called mitochondria, which are parts of the liver cells.

Generally, fatty liver produces no symptoms.  In rare cases, however, it results in jaundice (a yellowish discoloration of the skin and the white of the eyes), nausea, vomiting, pain and abdominal tenderness.

Although excessive fat in the liver may not in itself be a serious problem, its underlying cause might be.  For example, repeated liver injury from toxic substances such as alcohol may eventually progress from fatty liver to cirrhosis [severe scarring of the liver].  Therefore, treatment of fatty liver aims at minimizing or eliminating the underlying cause of the disorder.

Lifestyle modification, healthy eating, regular exercise and avoiding alcohol are simple ways to prevent fatty liver disease.  These are simple but very effective, especially if practiced by individuals at an early age.

With proper treatment and lifestyle changes it is possible to reverse fatty liver disease. The person suffering from fatty liver should eat vegetables and fruits and do regular exercise.  Consumption of varied vegetables from different ‘families’ and colors ensures a good balance between the different components needed by the body, and achieving various health benefits, including help curing a fatty liver.

Among the vegetables that are recommended by specialists are onion (high levels of vitamin C and dietary fiber), broccoli (high levels of vitamin C, dietary fiber, protein and anti-cancer components), cabbage (contains multiple anti-inflammatory components, and very high levels of vitamin C), carrot (excellent source of vitamin A and dietary fiber), tomato (contains lycopene, a very powerful natural antioxidant), sweet peppers (great source of vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin C) and garlic (high levels of vitamin C, fights high cholesterol and blood pressure and cancer).

Fruits have high vitamin, dietary fiber, minerals, and antioxidant properties, which all contribute for liver regeneration, repairing damaged liver cells and creating new ones. The recommended fruits for fatty liver are blueberries, blackberries, oranges, raspberries, plums, grapefruit, apples and cantaloupe. It is recommended to consume three to four fruits each day. Most of the fruits can be consumed also as a juice, but to keep its nutrition values, we must drink it within one hour after preparing the juice.

Education about fatty liver disease must start at an early age.  Since it’s a lifestyle disease, we need to teach our kids at an early age to practice a healthy lifestyle and good eating habits by avoiding junk foods, burgers, or French fries.