Most people think liver disease only happens to alcoholics.
But the truth is that being overweight or obese actually puts you at a much higher risk for liver damage than alcohol.
In fact, alcohol contributes to only 6% of liver damage. But obesity contributes to 52% of liver disease.
And if you’re obese, you’re 400% more likely to develop liver damage than a normal-weight individual.1
That’s why about 30% of people in America have some form of chronic fatty liver disease. It’s called non–alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD causes painful swelling and scarring of the liver.
And I blame modern food companies. Our food supply is now drenched in Big Agra’s high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
Just like alcohol, HFCS is toxic to the liver. Unlike other sugars it goes straight to your liver. It doesn’t go into your muscles and tissues for energy. It promotes the formation of new fat molecules. It triggers your liver cells to store this fat where it doesn’t belong.
Our food is also loaded with bad fats, chemicals, preservatives and additives that are very hard for your liver to metabolize.
All these toxins inflame your liver and give you NAFLD. But it gets worse…
NAFLD can progress an even more deadly form known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). About 10% to 30% of NAFLD patients develop NASH. And they are more likely to die from their liver disease. NASH can progress to hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure.
And here’s the tragedy… Mainstream medicine has no effective drug or other treatment for this condition.
I’ve been recommending a simple nutrient to my patients for years. One that protects the heart, brain, liver and more.
And a new study shows that this nutrient can stop NASH in its tracks.2
Researchers from Oregon State University fed lab animals the equivalent of a standard Western diet. The diet was high in bad fats and sugars that lead to obesity. The fat animals developed NASH. Then they were given docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a type of omega-3 fat.
They found that DHA blocked the progression of NASH even though the animals continued to eat a bad diet.
I was one of the first doctors to recommend omega-3 supplements for liver disease, as well as for heart and brain health.
You see, omega-3 fats like DHA are anti-inflammatory. They help to heal liver cell membranes. These healthy fats also suppress production of new liver fat cells and stimulate burning of fat cells. We also know that humans with NASH have very low levels of omega-3 fats.
You can get DHA from wild oily fish like salmon, mackerel, herring, anchovies, sardines, trout and fresh tuna. Another good source is grass-fed beef.
But after years of tracking my patients’ omega-3 levels, I know it is almost impossible to get enough DHA from your diet. You have to supplement.
Protect Your Liver with 3 Powerful Nutrients
1. Get the right kind of DHA. Most complementary doctors and natural health gurus recommend fish oil to get your DHA.
But the fish oil on the market today comes from contaminated waters. It’s loaded with toxins. And that adds to the burden on your liver.
Fortunately, there’s a better choice. Instead of fish oil, I recommend krill and squid oil to my patients. It’s purer than fish oil.
The tiny shrimp-like krill do not live long enough to absorb large amounts toxins. And squid live miles below the ocean, far from pollution on the surface.
I advise my patients to take at least 500 mg of DHA from a combination of squid oil and krill oil. And make sure you take it at meals so it can be digested properly.
2. Take your tocotrienols. This form of vitamin E has been proven to completely reverse NAFLD.
In one study, 50% of end-stage liver patients — those who never get better without a transplant — improved their condition by taking tocotrienols.3 Look for a vitamin E supplement with “mixed tocotrienols.”
Take at least 400 IU a day.
3. Don’t forget your CoQ10. This “heart supplement” has been proven to reverse signs of NAFLD in just 12 weeks.4
Take 100 to 300 mg per day of the ubiquinol form of CoQ10. Divide it into two doses.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
1. Zoler M. “Obesity is the Cause of Most U.S. Liver Damage: Risk of Disease Fourfold Higher in Obese.” Family Practice News. July 1, 2004.
2. Kelli A. Lytle, Carmen P. Wong, Donald B. Jump. “Docosahexaenoic acid blocks progression of western diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in obese Ldlr-/- mice.” Published: April 19, 2017
3. Patel V, et al. “Oral Tocotrienols Are Transported to Human Tissues and Delay the Progression of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Score in Patients.” J Nutr. 2012;142(3):513-9.
4. Farnaz Farsi et al. “Functions of Coenzyme Q10 Supplementation on Liver Enzymes, Markers of Systemic Inflammation, and Adipokines in Patients Affected by Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2016; Volume 35, Issue 4, 346-353.