Top Doctors Reveal Their 7 Best Fatty Liver Disease Self-Care Tips
Not sure the best way to manage your non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)? Treatment for the common condition typically involves lifestyle changes. And experts say fatty liver disease self-care can include everything from lifting light weights to making small swaps in your diet. Here’s a closer look at what the condition is and the steps you can take at home to manage — or even reverse — it.
What is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease?
Before we dive in, there’s an important update to know: Recently, the name of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was changed to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). In its more advance form, it’s known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). This was done in part to better explain the condition and to remove any stigma surrounding it, note experts reporting in the journal Hepatology.
So what is the condition exactly? MASLD is “an abnormal accumulation of fat in the liver,” explains Sheena B. Patel, MD, a gastroenterologist with Gastro Health in Ohio. That means that more than 5% of the cells in the liver have fat droplets, adds Kathleen Corey, MD, MPH, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Fatty Liver Clinic in Boston.
The condition “is probably a combination of environment and genetics,” explains Dr. Corey. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, carrying excess weight, eating processed foods and even menopause can raise your risk of the condition. Fatty liver disease typically doesn’t have many noticeable symptoms.
7 fatty liver disease self-care tips
If you have fatty liver disease, your first step in your self-care strategy should be talking with your doctor. While there’s not much in the way of prescription medication, earlier this year, the FDA approved Rezdiffra. Specifically for people with MASH, it can help decrease fat, inflammation and even scarring in some people, says Dr. Corey. In some cases, doctors may also recommend GLP-1 medications like Ozempic or Mounjaro to help with weight loss.
Overall, lifestyle changes are particularly impactful. When it comes to fatty liver disease self-care, there are a number of things you can do. Here, our experts' best advice:
1. Take care of other conditions
One of the key ways to reverse MAFLD is to manage any conditions you may have — from treating high cholesterol or hypertension to making sure your A1C levels are within your goal, says Dr. Patel. And in some cases, she may recommend a more aggressive approach. That can include taking medication for high cholesterol instead of just dealing with it through diet to help sidestep the potentially severe consequences of fatty liver disease.
2. Lift light weights for fatty liver disease self-care
“Both aerobic exercise and resistance training have been shown to be beneficial” for fatty liver disease self-care, says Dr. Corey. And she says that there’s data to suggest that even without weight loss, physical activity “can help decrease fat in the liver and markers of inflammation,” she explains. “So I tell my patients, while we would like the scale to move, if the scale doesn’t move, if you’re exercising, you’re still doing something very good for your liver.”
One place to start: Lifting light weights. This can be particularly helpful for people who have limited cardiorespiratory fitness, says Dr. Corey. “If you really haven’t been exercising, going out and doing a brisk walk is really going to be uncomfortable. Starting with weights can be an easier way to start because it’s not as vigorous,” she explains.
There are a variety of beginner-friendly strength training workouts, like this one below to try. In general, you should aim for 120 to 140 minutes of exercise per week — or about 20 minutes a day — and divide it up however works best for you, she says.
3. Stroll around the block
Speaking of aerobic activity, you don’t have to jump right into really intense workouts. Simply walking can be beneficial, say both Dr. Corey and Dr. Patel. Try strolling two or three times a week, says Dr. Patel, who advises you “start slow and then move up from there.”
Yoga may also be helpful. A small study in the journal Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome found that compared with those who didn’t practice yoga, prediabetic women who did had lower A1C and stress levels — and fatty liver rates didn’t worsen.
4. Make small dietary changes for fatty liver disease self-care
Making tweaks to your diet is a big part of fatty liver disease self-care. But it can be hard, especially because it’s something you have to be able to sustain long-term, says Dr. Patel. She’ll often recommend patients start by cutting one thing at a time, like that late-night snack or after-dinner dessert. To make this easier, consider replacing the snack with something else, like a relaxing bath. (You can also opt for healthier swaps, she says, like having Greek yogurt instead of ice cream.)
Talking to a dietician, who can help with this, can be beneficial. And it’s something that Dr. Patel will recommend to her patients. “I always tell my patients you’re running a marathon, you’re not running a sprint to get to [a certain] weight, because you have to be able to maintain the lifestyle,” she says.
5. Sip carbonated water
Speaking of swaps, processed foods and sugary sips tend to up your risk of fatty liver, says Dr. Corey. Drinks like soda can be especially problematic. In fact, research in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology suggests that people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages regularly are more than twice as likely to develop NAFLD. Still want the bubbles? Go for carbonated water instead, recommends Dr. Patel.
6. Treat sleep apnea for fatty liver disease self-care
Dr. Corey explains that people who have fragmented sleep or who work night shift tend to have more metabolic diseases such as fatty liver. And sleep apnea can play in a role in that. A study in the journal Cureus found that 45% of people with sleep apnea also had MASLD.
“We know that people with untreated sleep apnea probably have worse fatty liver, so we want people to try to undergo sleep studies and be treated if they have sleep apnea. Plus try to get six hours of sleep,” she advises.
7. Consider taking aspirin
Research out of Massachusetts General Hospital, where Dr. Corey practices, found that taking a low-dose aspirin daily for six months cut liver fat by about 10%.
“We don’t recommend aspirin just for their MASLD," she notes. "But if [a person has] other reasons to be on it, they’re likely to get a benefit for their fatty liver." Those other reasons could be conditions like heart disease or atrial fibrillation, or if you’re at risk of blood clot or heart attack, she says. As always, talk to your doctor to find out if daily aspirin is right for you.
More ways to treat fatty liver disease:
Can Fatty Liver Be Reversed? Doctors Say This Simple Drink Swap Can Help
Weight-Loss Discovery: How 1 Woman Healed Fatty Liver and Lost 101 Lbs in a Year
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.
