Health News 1-4-07

I couldn't believe it when I read this BBC article. Just another huge thing to put in the "Reasons to get off my ass and lose weight NOW" category. This is especially scary for me because my Uncle died of Liver and Colon cancer and he never drank or smoked a day in his life! I'm reposting article highlights and adding the link:

Obesity Fueling Liver Disease

Obesity has now overtaken alcohol as the number one cause of liver disease. In some cases the damage is so severe it means patients require a liver transplant.
Doctors say the rise in obesity means the problem will get even worse in years to come. The warning comes from liver experts at King's College Hospital in south London, one of the UK's leading liver transplant centres.

Dr Varuna Aluvihare, a consultant hepatologist at King's, said says fat induced liver disease has overtaken alcohol and viral infections as the commonest cause of liver disease in Europe and North America.

"If we extrapolate from the US experience its quite likely unless we change things soon in the next 20 or 30 years obesity will be the commonest cause of cirrhosis - that's irreversible scarring, and may be the commonest cause of indication for transplantation," he said.


Many of Dr Aluvihare's patients are surprised when told that obesity has caused their liver problems.

By the time symptoms emerge, the damage can be irreversible. The liver is the body's largest internal organ. It has hundreds of functions, from breaking down food to convert it to energy, to ridding the body of excess fluids and fighting infection.

When someone becomes overweight the liver often can't cope with the fat levels and it starts to store fat. This can lead to the liver becoming enlarged. In serious cases the organ can be permanently scarred - cirrhosis.

And it's not just elderly patients who are vulnerable to fat-induced liver disease.
The rise in childhood obesity means that patients are getting younger and younger.
Dr Aluvihare says it was virtually unheard of 15 years ago but they are now seeing a handful of children each year presenting with abnormal liver functions tests because of fat deposits. And it is only going to get worse.

There are things patients can do if fatty liver disease is caught early enough.

Being overweight or obese carries with it a huge number of potential health risks, among them heart disease, diabetes, cancer and arthritis. Now add to that liver disease.

It's yet one more reason to try to achieve a healthy body weight, based on a balanced diet and exercise. It's easier said than done.

BBC Article