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Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Diet

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) affects approximately 2 to 5 percent of Americans. NASH is a type of liver disease marked by the inflammation of the liver. It is caused by a buildup of fat in the liver and typically affects overweight people in their middle ages. While there are no proven treatments for NASH, most doctors recommend making healthy lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or lowering cholesterol, to help decrease the chance of liver damage.

  1. Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

    • NASH often mirrors the same symptoms as alcoholic liver disease, but it actually occurs in people who drink little or no alcohol. Doctors have not found a direct cause for NASH, but most believe that it is directly related to other health problems including obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes. In its beginning stages, people suffering from NASH may not even be aware of their illness. However, if it is not treated promptly people may develop liver damage and incur symptoms such as tiredness, weight loss and weakness. It may also lead to a more severe problem, called cirrhosis, in which the liver becomes permanently damaged and can no longer work properly. Since there is no truly effective treatment for NASH, most doctors recommend managing the health conditions that could be contributing to the disease.

    Weight Loss

    • Making a healthy lifestyle change by following a more nutritious diet and minimizing the amount of alcohol intake can help stop or limit the liver damage from NASH. If you are obese, most doctors recommend loosing 10 percent of body weight. According to WebMD, this can decrease the amount of fat that builds up in the liver and limit the damage it does to the liver cells.

    Cholesterol

    • Along with weight loss, patients with NASH should also lower their cholesterol to help maintain a healthy liver. The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet is an effective way to lower cholesterol and is recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The goal of the diet is to reduce the intake of saturated fat by replacing it with monosaturated, or unsaturated fats, such as those found in olive, canola or peanut oil.

    Diet

    • On a typical day, the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet recommends having 2 to 4 servings of fruit along with 3 to 5 servings of vegetables. It also recommends having 6 to 11 servings of breads, cereals, pasta and other grains. The diet limits the intake of meat, poultry and fish to no more than 5 servings each day. Sweets and snacks should only be eaten if they fall within your calorie limit, and people should try to choose sweets and snacks that are low in fat or are made with unsaturated fats.

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