Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Disease

Foods That May Help

Foods linked to Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the research literature.

CoffeeProtects against
Those drinking 2+ cups/day had less than half the risk of chronic liver problems.
Source: How Not to Age
CardamomImproves
Half teaspoon three times a day with meals for 3 months
Improvements in liver function and markers of systemic inflammation
Source: How Not to Age
SoymilkImproves
RCT (Eslami 2019) showing soy milk improved metabolic status in NAFLD patients
Source: How Not to Age
OatmealProtects against
A double-blind trial found significant reduction in liver inflammation in the oatmeal group, with nearly 90 percent losing weight.
Source: How Not to Die
OatmealReduces risk of
First double-blinded, randomized trial found significant reduction in liver inflammation in the oatmeal group. Nearly 90% of real-oatmeal subjects lost weight.
Source: How Not to Die
Purple Sweet PotatoesProtects against
A purple sweet potato concoction successfully dampened liver inflammation better than a placebo—due to anthocyanin pigments that prevent fat accumulation in liver cells.
Source: How Not to Die
Fruit (whole)Protects against
It is very difficult to get fat from eating too many apples because the fructose in the apple enters our system relatively slowly, mixed with fiber and water
Source: Outlive
Whole FruitProtects against
Just eat fruit and let nature provide the right amount of fiber and water, rather than drinking juice
Source: Outlive

Risk Factors

Foods and compounds that may contribute to Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Saturated fat
Overfeeding saturated fat (butter and cheese) increased liver fat by 55%, worse than sugar (33%) or unsaturated fat (15%).
Source: How Not to Age
Dietary cholesterol
Cholesterol consumption was a strong predictor of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Consuming the cholesterol in two Egg McMuffins or more daily doubled risk of hospitalization or death.; Cholesterol consumption was a strong predictor of cirrhosis and liver cancer. When liver cell cholesterol gets too high, it crystallizes and triggers inflammation.
Source: How Not to Die
Soda
Drinking just one can of soda a day appears to raise the odds of fatty liver disease by 45 percent.; Drinking just one can of soda a day appears to raise the odds of getting fatty liver disease by 45%.
Source: How Not to Die
Fast Food
After just one week of eating two fast-food meals per day, more than 75% of volunteers' liver function tests became pathological.
Source: How Not to Die
Sugar-sweetened beverages
There is a positive association between added sugar intake, in particular through sugar-sweetened beverages, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Fructose
These mechanisms of action possibly lead to chronic disease such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (Dornas et al. 2015; Hannou et al. 2018); If it goes on long enough, insulin resistance can lead to extensive liver inflammation, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Source: Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Fructose
I've seen patients work themselves into NAFLD by drinking too many 'healthy' fruit smoothies; liquid fructose overwhelms the liver; Fructose drives fat accumulation in the liver, contributing to NAFLD
Source: Outlive
Fruit juice
I've seen patients work themselves into NAFLD by drinking too many 'healthy' fruit smoothies, for the same reason: taking in too much fructose, too quickly; Fruit juices deliver too much fructose, too quickly, to a gut and liver that much prefer to process fructose slowly. Just eat fruit and let nature provide the right amount of fiber and water.
Source: Outlive
Soft drinks
Zelman's patient was 'distinguished for his appetite' and consumed as many as twenty Coke bottles per day, an extra 1,600 calories, and had a liver packed with fat
Source: Outlive
Fructose-Sweetened Drinks
If there is one type of food I would eliminate from everyone's diet, it would be fructose-sweetened drinks, including sodas and fruit juices, which deliver too much fructose too quickly to a gut and liver that prefer to process fructose slowly
Source: Outlive

Biological Mechanisms

Contributes toFat Spillover
As more calories flood into subcutaneous fat tissue, surplus begins spilling over into the liver, contributing to NAFLD
Contributes toFructose Converted to Fat in Liver
Consuming large quantities of liquid fructose overwhelms the gut; excess is shunted to the liver where calories end up as fat
Contributes toDrives excess fat production in liver

Recipes That May Help

Sources

How Not to Age
How Not to Die
Nutrition, Food and Diet in Ageing and Longevity
Outlive
The Longevity Diet