Obesity is a major contributor to liver failure disease, say experts. With majority of Mumbaikars following unhealthy lifestyle and having junk food eating habits, doctors say non-alcoholic fatty liver related liver failure is on a rise and obesity is the reason for it.
Dr Samir Shah, Head of the Hepatology, Liver Intensive Care and Transplant Unit at Global Hospital, said fatty liver is increasingly becoming the reason behind liver failure disease especially in urban cities like Mumbai.
“While many believe that fatty liver is related to alcohol consumption, 60% of the fatty liver disease cases are non-alcoholic,” said Shah.
Fatty liver is an accumulation of fat in the liver. “Obesity is the biggest cause of fatty liver. This is especially true in urban cities like Mumbai. The most important causes being obesity, excessive junk food diet, lack of exercise, diabetes and high cholesterol among other lifestyle conditions,” Dr Manish Motwani, Bariatric Surgeon at Aastha Health Care.
According to health experts incidence of liver diseases in non-alcoholics can turn into an epidemic in the years to come, if their improper lifestyle is not corrected soon.
Dr Sanjay Borude, obesity surgeon at Breach Candy Hospital, receives about 30 patients who are morbidly obese, with excessive body fat that increases the risk of liver problems.
“Among the obese patients I see more than 90 % of obese patient will have grade one fatty liver, out of this 40 % will have grade two fatty liver and 10 % patient will have grade three fatty liver,” said Borude.
Borude said it is important to control obesity to have healthy liver. “Anything in excess even if it is a good thing it’s harmful. So, Excessive junk food is off course bad for health. People should give preference to adequate intake of calories, adequate exercise, adequate physical and mental rest,” said Borude.