Fatty and Sugar Food is Linked to Liver Diseases: Study

A diet high in fat and sugar can lead to abdominal obesity and liver diseases, according to a study.

Experts have warned against excessive consumption of junk and processed food that might result in unwanted weight gain and increase the risk of deadly health conditions like diabetes, heart diseases, stroke and cancer. Recently, European researchers found that fat deposits in the abdominal region and liver increases the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) - a most common liver condition.

They observed 36 lean men who were divided in two groups - a group that was assigned a high fat diet and a group that followed euro-caloric diet or a healthy balanced diet for six weeks to note factors that increased intrahepatic and abdominal fat.  In addition, the study also analyzed if these conditions were impacted by eating too many meals or one large sized meal.

The participants' fat content around the waist and liver were recorded before and after the experiment using magnetic resonance imaging and insulin sensitivity tests. Subjects, who were on hyper-caloric diet, ate three full meals along with sugary drinks and extra snacks to increase meal size and intake.

It was observed that having more number of meals increased body mass index and also the intrahepatic triglyceride content in liver. Furthermore, experts found a notable increase in their waist circumferences but a drop in the liver insulin sensitivity than those following a healthy diet with a larger meal size.

"Our study provides the first evidence that eating more often, rather than consuming large meals, contributes to fatty liver independent of body weight gain. These findings suggest that by cutting down on snacking and encouraging three balanced meals each day over the long term may reduce the prevalence of NAFLD," said Mireille Serlie,  study author and researcher at Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam in Netherlands, in a news release.

Obesity is a serious issue that affects nearly one-third of the U.S. population, according to the data reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The total estimated annual cost on treatment and medical care amounts to $147 billion. About 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 coronary disease deaths can be prevented cutting down on unhealthy snacks and fatty food items.

"American children consume up to 27 percent of calories from high-fat and high-sugar snacks," said Serlie.

The authors recommend individuals to change their diet pattern and adopt healthy eating habits to ward off diseases.

More information is available online in the journal Hepatology.