Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver

Dear Ask The Doctor: I'm a 32 year old obese female. I went into the hospital for other health issues that had them do a ct scan. In the scan they found i had a fatty liver. I rarely drink alchol (maybe once or twice a year) and have no symptoms for a fatty liver. I went to my family doctor and she did checked my cholestrol, sugar and one other test through blood work and all my results came back within normal range. She said we will check it every year unless something changes. Should i be worried and is it ok to drink alcohol on occasion?

Dear Melinda: The fatty live that you have may be termed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and is a term used to describe fat accumulation in the liver of people who drink little or no alcohol. It is extremely difficult to pinpoint the actual cause of the disease. There is no standard treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The following lifestyle modification are required to minimize the effect of the disease :

i) Weight loss

ii) Health diet, avoid alcohol and excess fats

iii) Regular exercise

iv) Lowering cholesterol levels