Some medications are being studied as possible treatments for NASH. These include antioxidants like vitamin E. Scientists are also studying some new diabetes medications for NASH that may be given even if you don't have diabetes.
However, you should only take these medicines after consulting with a liver specialist. The main complication of fatty liver disease is the progression of NASH to cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis means permanent scarring and hardening of the liver. If you've been diagnosed with any fatty liver disease, let your health care provider know if you have any symptoms that mean the disease is getting worse. These include fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, fluid retention, or bleeding. If you are living with fatty liver disease, learn as much as you can about your condition and work closely with your medical team.
Since many medications can harm your liver, always let all your health care providers know about any medications you are taking. These include OTC drugs, dietary supplements, and vitamins. Other ways to manage fatty liver disease include maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and continuing to avoid alcohol.
Skip to main content. Liver - fatty liver disease. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Causes of fatty liver disease Symptoms of fatty liver disease Diagnosis of fatty liver disease Prevention and reversal of fatty liver disease Where to get help. Causes of fatty liver disease Eating excess calories causes fat to build up in the liver.
Risk factors for fatty liver disease Most, but not all fatty liver patients are middle-aged and overweight. The risk factors most commonly linked to fatty liver disease are: overweight body mass index of obesity body mass index above 30 diabetes elevated triglyceride levels.
Metabolic syndrome and fatty liver disease Many researchers now believe that metabolic syndrome — a cluster of disorders that increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke — plays an important role in the development of fatty liver. How a liver becomes fatty It is unclear how a liver becomes fatty.
Symptoms of fatty liver disease A fatty liver produces no symptoms on its own, so people often learn about their fatty liver when they have medical tests for other reasons.
Diagnosis of fatty liver disease Your doctor may see something unusual in a blood test or notice that your liver is slightly enlarged during a routine check-up. Some questions to ask your doctor after diagnosis include: What is the likely cause of my fatty liver? Do I have cirrhosis? If not, how likely am I to develop cirrhosis? Do I need to lose weight? How can I do so safely? Should I be taking any medication to control my cholesterol and triglyceride levels?
What medications or other substances should I avoid to protect my liver? Prevention and reversal of fatty liver disease There are no medical or surgical treatments for fatty liver, but some steps may help prevent or reverse some of the damage. For example, your doctor may recommend medicine to treat high blood pressure , treat high cholesterol , treat type 2 diabetes and treat obesity.
If you develop severe cirrhosis and your liver stops working properly, you may need to be put on the waiting list for a liver transplant.
For adults, the average waiting time for a liver transplant is days for transplants from recently deceased donors. Or it may be possible to have a transplant using a section of liver removed from a living donor.
As the liver can regenerate itself, both the transplanted section and the remaining section of the donor's liver are able to regrow to a normal size. Find out more about liver transplants. NAFLD is not caused by alcohol, but drinking may make it worse. It's therefore advisable to cut down or stop drinking alcohol. No drug treatment has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, but a few drugs are being studied with promising results.
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You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Your in-depth digestive health guide will be in your inbox shortly. You will also receive emails from Mayo Clinic on the latest health news, research, and care. Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition. With your doctor's help, you can take steps to control your nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
You can:. No alternative medicine treatments are proved to cure nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. But researchers are studying whether some natural compounds could be helpful, such as:. Vitamin E. In theory, vitamin E and other vitamins called antioxidants could help protect the liver by reducing or neutralizing the damage caused by inflammation.
But more research is needed. Some evidence suggests vitamin E supplements may be helpful for people with liver damage caused by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. But vitamin E has been linked with increased risk of death and, in men, an increased risk of prostate cancer.
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