What Are the Causes of Fatty Infiltration of Liver?

The human liver is an amazing organ. It has a long list of responsibilities, including filtering toxins, storing vitamins and minerals, producing cholesterol and breaking down fat. The liver can become overwhelmed if too much fat enters it at a time. An adult liver weighs about three pounds and lies on the right side of the body in the abdominal cavity.

• Alcohol abuse can lead to fatty liver

What is Fatty Infiltration of the Liver?

• LiverDoctor.com explains that fatty infiltration of the liver is also referred to as "fatty liver" and is often associated with alcoholism. The condition is caused by the liver's failure to break down fat efficiently. Fatty liver conditions that are not associated with alcohol are referred to as NAFLD (Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).

Obesity and Poor Diet Habits

• Obesity and poor diet are contributors to non-alcoholic fatty infiltration of the liver. Consuming excess calories may inhibit the liver's productivity, according to the American Liver Foundation. As a result, any fat that has not been broken down will remain in the liver, eventually infiltrating the cells.

Pregnancy

• Poor eating habits during pregnancy can also lead to NAFLD with potential risks to the mother and fetus. Maternal fatty liver can cause the developing fetus to also develop liver abnormalities, reports Physorg.com. These abnormalities can make the baby more susceptible to NAFLD throughout life.

Alcohol

• The development of fatty liver is quite common in alcoholics and is a direct result of excessive ethanol ingestion. Severe fatty infiltration may be accompanied by pain, nausea or anorexia and is usually the result of binge drinking. According to First Principles of Gastroenterology, the toxins in alcohol impair the liver's ability to secrete fat. Continued alcohol abuse can lead to liver damage such as cirrhosis and hepatitis, a result of a secondary condition known as NASH.

NASH

• NASH stands for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which is a secondary phase of fatty liver disease. While fatty infiltration of the liver is not harmful in itself, when it worsens into NASH, scarring and the destruction of liver cells can often result. Severe scarring can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis and inflammation (hepatitis). Each of these conditions can potentially lead to liver cancer or liver failure.