fatty liver Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Regular Exercise May Help Prevent Fatty Liver Disease Through Bile Acid Metabolism

The AHA! Team — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 05:30:05 +0000

American Physiological Society (APS) via Newswise – Aerobic exercise and a high capacity for exercise may protect against metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), also known as fatty liver disease, by increasing the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids, according to a new study published in Function. The paper has been selected as an APSselect article for July by the American Physiological Society (APS). MASLD is a chronic condition in which excessive fat is stored in the liver. It is tied to high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and insulin resistance. It can also lead to liver disease and increases the risk of heart disease. While exercise is known to prevent and treat fatty liver, researchers don’t yet understand exactly how this happens. This new study offers insights: Researchers propose that exercise prevents or reduces fatty liver, in part, by improving bile acid metabolism. The most prominent way cholesterol is removed from the body is by its conversion to bile acids, which aid the digestion of fat and trigger signals that improve how the body uses sugar and fat. By stimulating bile acid metabolism, exercise increases the disposal of cholesterol and activates signals that improve how the body processes food. In the study, rats bred to have genetically high- or low-exercise capacity were provided a high-fat diet, which normally causes fatty liver. This design was chosen because exercise capacity has been independently linked to lower risk for fatty liver disease in people. In addition, genetically identical mice were fed a high-fat diet, and half were allowed access to voluntary running wheels to simulate daily exercise in humans. A separate group of mice that lacked the ability to make bile acids were studied to test whether bile acid metabolism is necessary for the protective effects of exercise. Key findings included: High-exercise capacity rats had higher liver bile acid production, more bile acids in their feces, and lower blood levels of bile acids compared to the low-exercise capacity group. Daily exercise also increased bile acid synthesis, fecal bile acid loss and protected against fatty liver in the genetically identical mice. This demonstrates that daily exercise provides the same benefit as high exercise capacity due to genetic differences. Mice with an impaired ability to produce bile acids experienced no benefit of exercise in preventing fatty liver. Aerobic exercise increased bile acid production, and this process was required to prevent fatty liver. “Importantly, our results identify bile acid synthesis as a key mediator between aerobic capacity, exercise and hepatic energy metabolism that may also be linked to whole-body metabolism and long-term risk for Type 2 diabetes and MASLD,” the researchers wrote. “[B]ile acid synthesis plays a critical role in aerobic capacity and exercise ability in combating MASLD.” Read the full article, “Aerobic Capacity and Exercise Mediate Protection Against Hepatic Steatosis via Enhanced Bile Acid Metabolism.” It is highlighted as one of this month’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program. Read this month’s selected research articles.   To read the original article click here.

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Slash Your Risk of NAFLD by Breaking THIS Harmful Habit

The AHA! Team — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 05:08:37 +0000

Patrick Tims via NaturalHealth365 – It’s estimated that one in four adults suffers from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition where excess fat accumulates in the liver without alcohol being a factor. While alcohol is a well-known culprit of liver disease, a recent study published in the Annals of Hepatology highlights another surprising contributor: soft drinks. The research reveals a strong link between increased soft drink consumption and a higher risk of developing NAFLD, raising concerns about the impact of sugary beverages on liver health. The alarming link between soda consumption and liver disease: What the latest study reveals If you’re someone who can’t resist soda, you’re not alone – soft drinks, sugary sports beverages, and other sugar-filled bottled drinks are highly addictive. However, the latest study published in the Annals of Hepatology raises serious concerns: drinking more soft drinks is linked to a significantly higher risk of developing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The data also highlights that men are more likely to develop liver disease from increased soda consumption than women. The initial data collection occurred between 2004 and 2006, and only participants aged 20 or older were included. A follow-up analysis conducted from 2010 to 2012 added 186 new individuals, with 1,627 participants remaining in the study. Diet sodas or those with zero calories were excluded from the analysis. 28% of men consumed between one and three and a half servings of soft drinks per week. 47.4% of men consumed more than three and a half servings per week. 31.1% of women consumed between one and three and a half servings of soft drinks per week. 26.5% of women consumed more than three and a half servings per week. The median weekly soft drink intake for participants was 3.1 servings. Why NAFLD risk varies between men and women: A key insight from the study The study reveals a significant increase in the risk of NAFLD with higher soft drink consumption, showing a 39% higher likelihood of developing NAFLD when soft drink intake rises from less than one serving per week to more than three and a half servings per week. One of the most striking findings is that men have a higher risk of NAFLD as their soft drink consumption increases compared to women. While both sexes see a rise in risk with greater soft drink intake, the increase is more pronounced in men. This suggests that metabolic differences between men and women may play a key role in how the body responds to soft drink consumption, contributing to the observed variances in NAFLD risk. Simple and natural strategies to kick your soda habit Kicking your soda habit might sound tough, but it’s more doable than you think! Instead of going cold turkey, try weaning yourself off the sugary drinks gradually. A gentle transition can make the process feel less overwhelming. Start by swapping out your soda for sparkling water. The fizz can help satisfy that craving for something bubbly, and you can add a splash of lemon, lime, or cucumber to give it a refreshing twist. If you’re missing the sweetness, flavored waters with natural extracts like mint or berry are a great option, too. Try kombucha if you’re looking for something with a little more punch. This tangy, fermented tea is naturally fizzy and can help curb those cravings while also boosting your gut. Another tasty option is prebiotic sodas – these offer the fizz and a bit of sweetness without the sugar overload. For a more festive alternative, sparkling non-alcoholic champagne or grape juice can be a fun treat that feels like a special occasion, minus the sugar high. And if you’re craving something warm, herbal teas can be a comforting choice. You can naturally sweeten them with some honey or stevia if needed. By gradually replacing soda with these simple, flavorful alternatives, you’ll take steps toward a healthier lifestyle without feeling like you’re missing out! Sources for this article include: Sciencedirect.com NIH.gov News-medical.net To read the original article click here.

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Discover 7 Benefits of Acupuncture

AHA Publisher — Wed, 18 May 2022 07:00:13 +0000

Wendy Miller via NaturalHealth365 – Acupuncture is a centuries-old remedy that was first used in China. As a staple of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it can be used in many ways. Because it improves and enhances energy flow throughout the body, its health-promoting benefits are numerous. Studies suggest acupuncture treatments may help relieve pain, enable the body to heal itself, and break bad habits that hinder the body’s energy from flowing. In addition, acupuncture has few side effects and can be used whenever needed to improve health and general well-being. Top Reasons to Try This Time-Tested Intervention Insomnia Insomnia is becoming a growing problem worldwide with devastating consequences on human health. Sleep troubles can lead to various health concerns ranging from depression to heart conditions and possibly a stroke. Studies suggest that although acupuncture may not do the trick right away, its regular use can gradually improve sleep patterns. Fatty Liver Fat around the liver may be caused by excessive alcohol consumption. However, alcohol is not the only cause. An unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle have also been linked to its development. Eating fatty foods with very little exercise can lead to conditions like fatty liver and insulin resistance. Acupuncture is effective at helping to regulate the metabolism of lipids and allows the body use insulin more efficiently. Addiction Although there is limited scientific evidence available to support the use of acupuncture to help with addiction, an animal study found the technique to be a practical therapeutic alternative for treating morphine addiction. With the increase in internet use and other compulsive or addictive behaviors, researchers are hopeful that the use of acupuncture may be able to combat the many different types of addiction that are controlling our lives. Stroke Post-stroke recovery can be a long and difficult process. Healing can take weeks, months, or even years. Thankfully, studies suggest that acupuncture can help improve post-stroke cognitive impairment and restore nervous functions. By stimulating nerves at various points along the meridians, this intervention can spark healing and increase energy flow throughout these areas. Tinnitus Tinnitus is frustrating for those who experience it. A constant ringing or buzzing in the ears can be challenging since there is rarely an underlying cause. Studies have shown that acupuncture can effectively treat tinnitus. Regular maintenance acupuncture therapy sessions can effectively control the symptoms. Obesity Acupuncture has been shown to be effective at supporting healthy weight management in much the same way that it helps to minimize addiction. With regular use, acupuncture helps to reduce cravings and improves overall body mass index. When used with regular exercise and a proper diet, acupuncture may just be the tool you need to achieve your ideal weight. Depression Depression has reached epidemic levels, especially during the COVID era. Yet, tragically, the warning signs are easy to miss unless you notice the subtle changes in a person’s mood and general outlook on life. Acupuncture offers a drug-free alternative to pharmaceutical options with little to no negative side effects. In one study, the technique improved depression among people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). What’s the bottom line? Although the benefits of acupuncture may not always be immediately apparent, clinical trials show promising results with regular use. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that the technique is quite effective at relieving various painful conditions. Contrary to pharmaceuticals, acupuncture has few unwanted side effects, making it a particularly attractive method to stimulate the body’s self-healing mechanisms. Why not give it a try? Sources for this article include: GreenMedinfo.com NIH.gov

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A ‘Dented’ Internal Clock Provides Insight Into Shift Workers’ Weight Gain and Diabetes

AHA Publisher — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 07:00:27 +0000

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania via Newswise – PHILADELPHIA— A study of “dented” internal clocks seems to have provided evidence for a theory as to why people who work late or irregular hours are susceptible to weight gain and diabetes. High rates of shift workers gain weight and develop diabetes, which has been attributed to a mismatch between their internal clocks and their schedules, so researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania created a related mismatch by altering the function of a molecule within the brains of mice that shortened their circadian rhythms from 24 to 21 hours. These mice gained more weight, had higher blood sugar, and fattier livers, all of which were corrected by changing their environment to a 21-hour “day.” “When the external world doesn’t match the internal body’s cycles, metabolism pays the price,” said the study’s senior author, Mitchell A. Lazar, MD, PhD, the director of Penn Medicine’s Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, and the Ware Professor of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases. “We saw this in our study, and we believe that this happens similarly when people work odd hours that don’t align with how human bodies are wired.” Published today in Science Advances, the researchers led by Lazar and primary investigator Marine Adlanmerini, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher in Lazar’s lab, sought to explore circadian desynchrony, a theory in which a disruption or alteration to a person’s innate, internal clock leads to poor outcomes. Shift workers – those who may work long hours, overnight, or with irregular rest periods in between work – are subject to this, which could be why they appear to be at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, and metabolic diseases including having a liver that retains more fat. So to explore whether circadian desynchrony is a viable explanation for this, the researchers removed certain molecules called REV-ERB, which reside in the brain cells of mice, and seem to control the body’s internal clock, holding it around 24-hour cycles. When REV-ERB was deleted, it caused the mouse body clocks to run roughly three hours shorter, which the researchers determined by tracking their regular sleep/awake pattern. While their body clocks ran faster, some of these mice were kept in a typical day’s 24-hour cycle, with 12 hours of light and 12 of dark. Those mice, when on their regular diet, were able to keep their weight in check. But when given a diet with higher contents of fat and sugar – a diet not unfamiliar to the typical American – they gained more weight and had more adverse conditions, like diabetes and fatty liver. Moreover, the mice who still had REV-ERB but were given the high-fat and sugar diet did not have the same high amounts of poor outcomes. “One potential explanation is that the internal clock of the mice missing REV-ERB was running at odds with the 24-hour day, which led to metabolic stress on the body,” Lazar said. A way that was “fixed” was when the researchers adjusted the length of the mice’s “day” in the lab to match their malfunctioning internal clock: 21-hour days with 10.5-hour cycles of light and dark to match their 21-hour internal clock. When this happened, the mice with the altered clocks no longer were as susceptible to the ill-effects of the unhealthy diet. That correction seemed to fall in line with the circadian desynchrony theory: Once the internal clock and the day lined up again, metabolism appeared to operate at its normal, healthy rate. “This may be a lesson for how to prevent or reduce obesity and diabetes in shift workers,” Lazar explained. “For example, timing of meals to better match the shift worker’s own clock could be of benefit. That would also be consistent with a number of studies in mice and people that have suggested that eating at specific times of day may improve weight control and metabolism.” Moving forward, Lazar, Adlanmerini, and their team feel that potentially finding biomarkers which could be tested for and indicate how a person’s internal clock is running would be key. “Information like that could then be matched to decisions about when to eat, much as blood sugar monitoring can help a diabetic understand when they should be taking more insulin,” said Lazar. To read the original article click here.

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A Cure for Diabetes?

AHA Publisher — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 07:00:03 +0000

American Technion Society via Newswise – A novel approach to treating type 2 diabetes is being developed at the Technion. The disease, caused by insulin resistance and reduction of cells’ ability to absorb sugar, is characterised by increased blood sugar levels. Its long-term complications include heart disease, strokes, damage to the retina that can result in blindness, kidney failure, and poor blood flow in the limbs that may lead to amputations. It is currently treated by a combination of lifestyle changes, medication, and insulin injections, but ultimately is associated with a 10-year reduction in life expectancy. Led by Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Ph.D. student Rita Beckerman from the Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory in the Technion’s Faculty of Biomedical Engineering presents a novel treatment approach, using an autograft of muscle cells engineered to take in sugar at increased rates. Mice treated in this manner displayed normal blood sugar levels for months after a single procedure. The group’s findings were recently published in Science Advances. Muscle cells are among the main targets of insulin, and they are supposed to absorb sugar from the blood. In their study, Prof. Levenberg’s group isolated muscle cells from mice and engineered these cells to present more insulin-activated sugar transporters (GLUT4). These cells were then grown to form an engineered muscle tissue, and finally transported back into the abdomen of diabetic mice. The engineered cells not only proceeded to absorb sugar correctly, improving blood sugar levels, but also induced improved absorption in the mice’s other muscle cells, by means of signals sent between them. After this one treatment, the mice remained cured of diabetes for four months – the entire period they remained under observation. Their blood sugar levels remained lower, and they had reduced levels of fatty liver normally displayed in type 2 diabetes. “By taking cells from the patient and treating them, we eliminate the risk of rejection,” Prof. Levenberg explained. These cells can easily integrate back into being part of the body and respond to the body’s signalling activity. Currently around 34 million Americans, just over 1 in 10, suffer from diabetes, 90% of them from type 2 diabetes. An effective treatment – and one that is a one-time treatment rather than daily medication – could significantly improve both quality of life and life expectancy of those who have diabetes. The same method could also be used to treat various enzyme deficiency disorders. To read the original article click here.

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WARNING to “Healthy Weight” Individuals: Fatty Liver Health Problems Could Be Brewing Inside

AHA Publisher — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 07:00:03 +0000

Joy Jensen via NaturalHealth365 – Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become an epidemic in the U.S. – with over 100 million people being affected by this disease. To make matters even worse, most people have no idea it’s happening to them. To be clear: poor liver function has the potential to progress to more serious health issues like, chronic liver inflammation, scarring and cancer. In the past, experts simply believed that NAFLD affected primarily overweight individuals. And, while that’s true that obesity is connected to a fatty liver – there is a much bigger problem (no pun intended) for those walking around with a “healthy” body weight. In fact, new research reveals that even those who are not overweight can be affected by a fatty liver and researchers uncovered evidence that NAFLD presents itself in different ways based upon both body mass index (BMI) and gender. SHOCKING Truth About “Non-Obese Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease” Conventionally-speaking, NAFLD is commonly associated with high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and excess body weight. No doubt, we’ve seen this disease explode in numbers – within the U.S. – as a direct proportion to the obesity epidemic. However, it’s recently become more common in Asia despite the fact that those living in that area of the world tend to notbe obese compared to the population in Europe and the United States. So, you can imagine the surprise of researchers when they discovered “non-obese NAFLD.” To make matters even more shocking: researchers discovered that non-obese NAFLD has a higher mortality ratethan that of obese NAFLD. Normally, increased visceral fat and reduced skeletal mass present as strong risk factors for the development of fatty liver in patients with obesity. However, for non-obese NAFLD, researchers didn’t have this type of insight and started looking at both non-obese and obese patients. They discovered that a quarter of the both males and females had non-obese fatty liver disease. Researchers were surprised to find that these individuals had lower muscle strength and skeletal muscle mass than patients with NAFLD who also were diagnosed with obesity. Belly fat was low in these patients, and the study found only a modest increase in insulin resistance and liver fatty accumulation. Researchers commented that these results show that there are key differences in how fatty liver disease presents itself in men and women who aren’t obese. And it’s a reminder that even individuals without obesity are at risk for fatty liver disease. Want to AVOID COVID-Related Complications? Read this Very Carefully Recently, studies found that patients with fatty liver disease had a great risk of hospitalization with COVID-19 due to COVID-related complications. With this new study on non-obese NAFLD, we now know that even more people are likely at risk for this increased risk of coronavirus complications. Bottom line: we need to have a greater appreciation (and respect) for healthy liver function. Simply put, a healthy liver is crucial for us to enjoy a healthy life. Liver function literally affects every organ and system of the body from hormone production, blood sugar regulation and the removal of harmful toxins from the body. If your liver struggles, so will you. Find out how poor liver function can increase the risk of autoimmune disorders, cancer, diabetes, heart disease plus much more! Click to to sign up now for the Fatty Liver Docu-Class created by Jonathan Landsman. This event starts Oct. 6, 2020. Don’t miss it … Register Today! Sources for this article include: Eurekalert.org, NaturalHealth365.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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