The serious effect this popular food has on your liver revealed by study

While indulging in some fast-food every now and then can feel like a well-deserved treat to most of us, it is definitely not something that should be consumed too often. Many studies have already shown how fast-food can have a negative impact on your health, body weight and sugar levels leading to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

As reported by Eat This, Not That!,a new study published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology demonstrates even more clearly just how far-reaching the harmful effects of fast-food can be, specifically for your liver.

The study found a link between the consumption of fast-food and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD.

The findings of the study

The team of researchers studied data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) survey 2017–2018 to evaluate the quantitative impacts of fast-food consumption on the livers of a representative sample of people.

The findings indicated a connection between fast-food intake and NAFLD. In particular, for people who are obese or have diabetes whose one-fifth of their daily diet was constituted by fast-food, the levels of liver fat were significantly high.

People without obesity or diabetes were found to have a moderate increase in liver fat when consuming the same amount of fast-food.

This study is crucial because as per the report, it is one of the first studies to establish a specific connection between fast-food and fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD

As per the NHS, NAFLD refers to a range of medical conditions which arise from the build-up of fat in the liver. Besides being associated with an increased risk of serious health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease, NAFLD also increases the risk of having heart problems.

NAFLD occurs in 4 stages as per NHS:

1. Simple fatty liver (steatosis) – a largely harmless build-up of fat in the liver cells
2. Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) – a more serious form of NAFLD, where the liver has become inflamed
3. Fibrosis – persistent inflammation causes scar tissue around the liver and nearby blood vessels, but the liver is still able to function normally
4. Cirrhosis – the most severe stage, where the liver shrinks and becomes scarred and lumpy; this damage is permanent and can lead to liver failure (where your liver stops working properly) and liver cancer

Sources used:

Eat This, Not That!: ‘What Eating Fast Food Can Do to Your Liver, According to New Research’

Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology: ‘Quantifying the Negative Impact of Fast-food Consumption on Liver Steatosis Among United States Adults with Diabetes and Obesity’

NHS: 'Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)'