Q What exactly is fatty liver?
A It's a state where more triglycerides than normal have accumulated inside liver cells. It's divided into alcoholic (from drinking) and non-alcoholic (NAFLD/MASLD, unrelated to alcohol), and is deeply linked to obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Detailed Answer
A healthy liver also has some fat, but when fat exceeding 5% of liver weight accumulates, it's considered fatty liver. There is alcoholic fatty liver that occurs in heavy drinkers, and non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD, recently named MASLD) that occurs from overeating, excess carbohydrates, obesity, and insulin resistance regardless of alcohol. In the early stages there are almost no symptoms, so it's mostly found incidentally on a health checkup, but if left alone it can progress to steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis, and cirrhosis.
Oriental Medicine Clinic Perspective
At our clinic, rather than simply "oil clogging the liver," we view it as a state where the digestion and metabolism rhythm behind it is disrupted. We focus on restoring the operation of the stomach and liver-gallbladder to create a metabolic environment where fat no longer accumulates.
Related FAQs
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Q
Can fatty liver improve without losing much weight? Losing weight is really hard for me.
#Possibility / Realistic Goals
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Since my fatty liver diagnosis I've had constant fatigue and bloating. Is this related to fatty liver?
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I hardly exercise. What exercise is best for fatty liver and how much should I do?
#Lifestyle Management
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I heard fasting to quickly get rid of fatty liver made it worse. How fast is safe to lose weight?
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They say my liver is bad—won't taking herbal medicine raise my liver enzymes (AST/ALT) even more?
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