Is your waistline increasing rapidly? Is your liver secretly accumulating fat?

Many people only discover they have fatty liver disease during routine health checkups. Others find out when they already have metabolic disorders such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or dyslipidemia.

Fatty liver disease occurs when fat accumulates excessively in liver cells. In many people, this condition doesn't appear alone but is accompanied by increased visceral fat accumulation in the abdomen, according to the health information website Everyday Health (USA).

If your waist circumference is increasing rapidly while the amount of fat in your arms and legs remains unchanged, it's very likely that fat is starting to accumulate more in your liver.

PHOTO: N. Quy created using AI

An increased waist circumference increases the risk of fatty liver disease.

Visceral fat is fat located deep within the abdominal cavity, surrounding organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines. Unlike subcutaneous fat, visceral fat has a more active metabolism and affects many organs in the body.

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Professional guidelines on liver disease indicate that increased waist circumference is one of the signs reflecting the accumulation of visceral fat and increasing the risk of fatty liver disease. Therefore, when waist circumference increases rapidly, especially in people who are sedentary or consume excess calories over a long period, the risk of fatty liver disease is high.

The link between abdominal obesity and fatty liver disease primarily stems from the impact of visceral fat. As visceral fat levels increase, fat cells release more free fatty acids into the bloodstream. A significant portion of these is transported directly to the liver.

When the liver receives too much fatty acid, it converts it into triglycerides and stores them in liver cells. If this process continues, the amount of fat in the liver will increase, leading to fatty liver disease.

Furthermore, visceral fat produces more inflammatory substances and increases insulin resistance. When the body is insulin resistant, the liver continues to produce glucose and accumulate more fat.

Therefore, the risk of fatty liver disease depends not only on weight but is also closely related to the amount of visceral fat. Two people with the same body mass index (BMI) but with a larger waist circumference will have a higher risk of liver disease, according to Dr. Naim Alkhouri, a hepatologist at Arizona Liver Health (USA).

Not everyone with a large belly has fatty liver disease.

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However, it's important to note that not everyone with a large belly has fatty liver disease. The risk is higher if the waist circumference increases rapidly accompanied by other signs. For example, many people experience both increased waist circumference and continuous weight gain in a short period. In some cases, fat is concentrated mainly in the abdominal area while the arms and legs remain largely unchanged.

In addition, elevated blood sugar, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or dyslipidemia often occur alongside fatty liver disease. Some people also experience increased fatigue, reduced stamina during exercise, or difficulty losing weight despite trying to control their diet, according to Everyday Health .

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vong-bung-tang-nhanh-co-phai-gan-dang-am-tham-tich-mo-185260612171737774.htm