Health Hotline Magazine | August 2024

You Are Only as Healthy as Your Liver As the largest internal organ in the body, the liver is a heavy lifter. It removes toxins, maintains healthy blood sugar levels, regulates blood clotting, stores and even makes certain vitamins and minerals, regulates amino acid levels, plays a role in healthy digestion, and more. In fact, it performs more than 500 vital functions in the body, so keeping the liver healthy is crucial for overall health. When it comes to liver disease, there’s a long-running misconception that you can only damage the liver by drinking too much alcohol, using drugs, or by taking medications that can harm this vital organ (one reason NAFLD goes unrecognized in children), but the reality is that risk factors like obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, and a poor diet wreaks havoc on liver health— and are the main factors contributing to the rise of NAFLD in children and adolescents. NAFLD in children is associated with hyperlipidemia (excess fat in the blood), insulin resistance, and obstructive sleep apnea. Studies also show that children and young adults with NAFLD have significantly higher rates of cancer, liver-related death, There is a silent, spreading-like-wildfire health epidemic a ecting our youth, negatively impacting their health today and hindering their full health potential well into adulthood, and it’s called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Driven by factors like obesity, a lack of regular exercise, and a diet devoid of adequate nutrients and full of processed and sugary foods, children and adolescents are directly feeling the e ects of this rapidly growing disease, characterized by too much fat stored in liver cells. According to one report, the incidence of NAFLD in children and adolescents (0-17 years) has increased by nearly 170% since 2017, and we are failing them by ignoring the problem. But with awareness and action, this is an epidemic we can reverse, giving our children the gift of good health and setting them up for a long, healthy life. By Liz Mueller LIVER FATTY IN CHILDREN AN EPIDEMIC WE CAN REVERSE

and cardio-metabolic mortality. According to research, “The worldwide prevalence of NAFLD in children is a worrying phenomenon because this disease is closely associated with the development of both cirrhosis and cardio-metabolic syndrome in adulthood.” Over the past decade, the incidence of NAFLD has increased significantly in children. The percentages of age groups diagnosed with NAFLD are as follows: adults (25%), adolescents 15 to 19 years (17%), children 10 to 14 years (11%) and children ages 5 to 9 years (3%). What’s more, approximately one-third of obese male children and one-quarter of obese female children are estimated to have NAFLD. Race can also determine the risk of NAFLD, with Asian-American and Latino children thought to be at a higher risk compared to their white and African-American counterparts. Although the majority of children with NAFLD are overweight or obese, there is an increasing subset of children with a normal body mass index with so-called “lean NAFLD.” Research has determined that “The current standard-of-care treatment of NAFLD in children is lifestyle change and increased physical activity.” In other words, a better diet and more movement.

According to one report, the incidence of NAFLD in children and adolescents (0-17 years) has increased by nearly 170% since 2017.

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