The holiday season can be notoriously hard on the liver, as diets are abandoned and alcoholic beverages are downed in higher numbers. They also provide an ideal moment to remind ourselves that both alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver diseases in the industrialized world,[1] can be prevented by adopting healthy lifestyle interventions. Here are five approaches to help patients modify their risk factors this new year.
1. Cut way down on calories, strategically.
Caloric restriction can reduce insulin resistance, weight, hepatic fat, and cardiovascular risk factors, regardless of carbohydrate content.[2,3]
Although we may have overindulged during the holiday season, different strategies to achieve caloric restriction can help to get us back on track, including such fasting regimens as time-restricted eating (meals consumed within a limited number of hours), alternate-day fasting, and the 5:2 eating pattern (unrestricted eating for 5 days, followed by 2 days of restricted intake).
Intermittent fasting may not be safe for all patients, especially those with diabetes or cirrhosisin whom fasting increases the risk for sarcopenia. Clinicians should guide patients and remind them to use caution in their weight loss efforts, as recent studies suggest that moderate to large weight loss increases the risk for mortality in patients aged 45-74 years.
