Sugars are the drivers of fatty liver disease

Sugars are the drivers of fatty liver disease but high red meat consumption also comes into the equation too, notably that which is processed; specifically pasture-fed is unknown.

There are many things that appear to be obviously correct but are entirely wrong. One is that dietary fat is the cause of this shockingly dangerous disease. Lipid globules infiltrate the liver leading to cirrhosis and Hepato Cellular Carcinoma; terminal conditions.

Sugars are the chief drivers of fatty liver disease from ultra-refined carbs, known as "rapidly digested starches" and soft drinks.

Written by Dr. Bernard Preston (BSc, BEd and DC)

Disclaimer

MASLD

So misleading is the idea that fat is the cause of this condition that scientists have relabeled it so that we can grasp that it is obesity and diabetes from an overload of carbs and sugars, not from dietary fat that is the underlying problem.

Remember that a starch is simply a long chain of glucose molecules. In their unrefined state, for example corn on the cob, brown rice and true wholegrain bread carbs are slowly digested, releasing their sugars at a pedestrian rate and producing no surges in the blood.

Unfortunately the new name is a jaw-breaker; Metabolic Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.

The metabolic dysfunction of a diet high in rapidly digested starches like white rice, commercial bread and cold-storage potatoes is the real cause of fatty liver disease.

Steatotic simply means that excessive fat droplets are being deposited in the liver.

"MASLD is considered the liver complication of type 2 diabetes."

- Scott Isaacs, MD, endocrinologist, obesity medicine specialist

Prevalence of Fatty Liver disease (MASLD)

Fatty Liver Disease now affects a staggering 30% of the adult population in most First World countries; and around 50 percent of those who have diabetes, especially if they are also obese.

The phenomenal rise in the consumption of sugar, except during the two World Wars of course exactly parallels the sharp increase in the prevalence of MASLD.

Fruit juices

Fruit juices like OJ are amongst the biggest offenders because of their high fructose content; this sugar is able to get around the regular pathways that the pancreas uses to manage glucose levels, making us insulin-resistant.

This excessive fructose consumption is immediately converted into fat droplets in the liver and in adipose tissue.

But once again unprocessed fruits like eating a whole apple or bunch of grapes does not cause this surge in blood fructose because of all the fibre; that slows the release of food from the stomach.

But there's little profit for the food industry if we eat apples, bananas and oranges; they want us to drink the ultraprocessed fruit juices. Now they can score and see a big surge in the bottom lines of the company audited figures.

Sugars and alcohol too are stored in the Very Low Density Lipoproteins that carry the triglycerides and the "bad cholesterol."

Common sodas

Common soft drinks obviously are very high in sugar, around 30 teaspoons per litre; they are major drivers of fatty liver disease.

This excessive glucose like fructose is also immediately converted in the liver into fatty acids; this promotes inflammation in the organ.

The Heart Association recommends no more than six teaspoons of sugar per day.

Unfortunately scientists are telling us that the sugar substitutes are little better; they also promote weight gain because of their detrimental affect on the microbiome, shifting the balance towards those pathogenic bacteria that makes us fat.

Side effects of artificial sweeneners

A rock and a hard place

This all places the person who wants to be healthy in an invidious position; the only option is to pull the sweet tooth and get back to drinking water, teas and even small amounts of coffee, no more than three cups per day.

Most but not all natural unprocessed honeys, only readily available from hobbyist beekeepers, have a low GI^[2]; they do not cause a blood glucose or fructose spike. In fact they lower fasting sugar tests.

Red and processed meat

With most red meat today coming from animals raised in a feed lot on a diet high in corn, it increases the prevalence of fatty liver disease by 50%^[1]; particularly if it has been processed into bacon, Vienna sausages and polony, for example.

No one is quite sure about pasture-fed beef because so few people have access to it.

Saved from fatty liver disease

It's easier to add good foods to our diet than take the bad ones out. More legumes, whole grains and plenty of salads will save us from the ravages of MASLD; it readily progresses to cirrhosis and hepato-cellular carcinoma of the liver.

The Cancer Association in fact recommends a legume and a whole grain at every meal; no one does that but many people do not even achieve it once a month.

Wholegrain bread and hummus salad

Fava beans are the favourite legume at Our Green Home because of their very high dopamine content; but you won't find them in the grocery store. You have to grow them yourself.

How to sprout, stake and plant broad beans, also known as favas in Europe.

Limas and common pole beans are perhaps a simpler option; but they are not rich sources of the "happy hormone." Choosing healthier foods is always uphill; the protection that broad beans give against Parkinson's Disease, the fastest growing neurodegenerative condition in the world is an enormous plus.

Unskinned broad beans have a very low GI

Nuts and seeds too give strong protection against fatty liver disease.

It's not so radical to make sure the pecan nut bowl never leaves the dining room table; try and crack your own and enjoy at least three every day. That way you cannot readily eat too many.

Pecans incidentally are also an excellent source of vitamin E, nature's anticoagulant; protection against heart attacks and strokes. We should all be eating nuts and seeds daily if we want to enjoy vigorous, joyful old age, not beset by disease. The research is strong^[4].

A breakfast rich in vitamin E

Nuts and seeds give protection against MASLD

Whole grain sourdough bread

Getting away from typical grocery store bread is certainly the most difficult; it's a major driver of fatty liver disease too. Once the fibre, natural wheat oils and the protein in the germ are extracted, flour becomes highly glycaemic.

Baking your own sourdough bread from the best flour you can purchase is the only real way forwards; a bridge too far for the majority.

It really does take only five minutes to mix the ingredients

But once you taste bread like this you'll never go back to the commercial loaf; it is not heavy at all but one slice is enough at a meal, perhaps an extra half. You will feel stuffed if you have a second.

The material expressed on this page is gleaned from the nutritional and environmental literature; it is clearly referenced. A plain distinction is made between the author's opinion and that which is scientifically proven. When in doubt consult your health professional.

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to Dr Bernard Preston here. Contact.