How Addictive Foods Are Driving Fatty Liver Disease And Obesity

HOW ADDICTIVE FOODS ARE DRIVING FATTY LIVER DISEASE AND OBESITY.

There is no denying that foods rich in fat and sugar are very tasty. One might even call such foods irresistible. But as delicious as this combination is, it can also become addictive. And this type of addiction can harm your health in various ways.

The Addictive Duo (Or Trio)

Sugar gives the brain immense pleasure because it serves as a great source of brain fuel. But even though it is sweet, it cannot give food that “irresistible” taste on its own. The food component that drives your brain wild is the fat-sugar combination.

In fact, a study done with milk containing a constant sugar concentration but varying fat concentrations shows that people generally prefer full-fat milk to low-fat types. This is not surprising, knowing that zero fat milk is more like water.

The fat and sugar combination produces an irresistibly delicious taste, and most pastry chefs know the best ways to create this flavor. Up till now, nobody has been able to create a truly sweet taste without the fat. Mainly because what gives many foods their characteristic rich flavor and creamy texture is the fat component. Add salt to the sugar-fat combination, and you have the trio of addictive food ingredients in one place.

How Addiction Happens With the Sugar-Fat Combination

The taste is usually a terrific reward when you consume any food item. But when fat and sugar (and maybe even salt) are added, you tend to eat a lot more than you need to satisfy the actual hunger. Mainly because of the “irresistible” taste.

According to various studies, the sugar-fat combo causes your brain to release a high amount of dopamine (a “feel good” brain chemical). This creates an addictive pattern. The resulting high dopamine levels in your brain trigger a counteracting effect that causes the dopamine receptors to decrease. This receptor decrease is known as increased tolerance. ,

With this higher tolerance, the same amount of addictive food starts to give you less pleasure. So, you now want to eat more to achieve the same “good” feeling. But this is how you slowly start to lose control and become addicted to foods rich in sugar and fat. This is a good indicator that you’re becoming addicted to these foods.

Highly addictive foods include ice cream, chocolate, stuffed cookies, chips, pizza, and white bread.

Health Effects of Addictive Foods

These sugar- and fat-rich foods are calorie-dense and often cause you to consume more calories than your body needs. For instance, a small cup of ice cream contains at least 250 calories. This is more than 10% of your daily calorie intake as an adult, especially if you’re not physically active. It also contains 23% of your daily fat requirements. This is just a small cup of ice cream. Imagine how much a large cup contains, particularly if you combine it with other addictive foods like pizza or fries.

To make things worse, these foods are usually not filling when taken in small quantities. So, you tend to consume a lot before you can satisfy your hunger. The foods are also digested quickly, which makes you hungry again before long. Thus causing you to consume excessive calories.

Therefore, consuming this type of food regularly means consuming more calories and fat than your body needs daily. But the excess calories and fat that your body doesn’t burn cannot be eliminated. So, it is stored as excess fat, thus making you gain weight and possibly become obese. It is also stored in your liver cells, where it can cause fatty liver disease.

It is even possible that obesity has become more prevalent over the last 5 decades because the food industry has created various delicacies that have messed with many people’s pleasure centers.

Sugar and Your Health

In addition to being bad for your teeth, sugar is also bad for your liver.

Your liver produces fat from a particular type of sugar, fructose. When you consume excessive amounts of refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, you give your high liver amounts of fructose to produce fat. This fat is stored in your liver cells, and excessive amounts can result in fatty liver disease.

According to some studies, sugar can be as damaging to your liver as alcohol. Even if you have healthy body weight. This undesirable effect on your liver is another reason you should limit your intake of added sugars. You should, therefore, minimize your intake of soda, pastries, candy, and similar food items.

Obesity

Being overweight or obese diminishes every aspect of your health, from memory and mood to reproductive and respiratory function. It also increases your risk of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.

There are various pathways for these increased health risks, including hormonal and metabolic changes. It can also be attributed to the physical stress of carrying excess weight.

Obesity not only reduces the length and quality of your life but also increases your healthcare costs.

On the bright side, losing excess weight can help you reduce some of the health risks. According to some research, losing as seemingly little as 5% of your body weight will improve your health significantly. You don’t have to achieve the “ideal” weight before you reap the health benefits of weight loss. It also doesn’t matter when you start to lose weight.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

This is the most common type of chronic liver disease in developed countries. It usually happens when excessive fat accumulates in your liver cells. This condition is known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease because the fat accumulation is not due to excessive alcohol consumption. NAFLD usually happens alongside obesity and other cardiovascular risk factors. It is also not something you should take lightly because it increases your health risks in various ways.

You should know that having a certain amount of fat in your liver is normal. However, once the fat proportion of your liver is higher than 10%, you have fatty liver disease. This fat accumulation can cause severe complications. The complications are worse if the fat accumulation causes a lot of inflammation or damage to your liver.

When you have NAFLD, your liver may become inflamed with time. This inflammation causes your liver cells to be replaced by scar tissues, which can’t perform the function of your liver. This condition of scar formation is known as liver cirrhosis. If this continues, you may eventually develop liver failure or cancer.

Beyond causing liver cirrhosis, NAFLD also increases your risk of heart disease. Especially if you are also overweight or obese.

Symptoms of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease does not always show symptoms, especially in the early stage. But you should know that the symptoms below may be indicative of NAFLD. So, you should talk to your doctor if you experience any of them or have concerns about your health.

• Generalized weakness
• Abdominal pain
• Unexplainable weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Motion sickness, especially if you don’t usually experience it.
• Confusion and difficulty in concentration
• Edema
• Skin discoloration, particularly on your throat and armpits.

Lifestyle Approach to Protecting your Liver and Maintaining a Healthy Weight

No matter the cause – alcohol-related or not – NAFLD is commonly treated by modifying your lifestyle to achieve a healthy weight and reduce the amounts of fat in your liver. However, if you are currently overweight, you should aim to lose the excess weight safely and in a way that won’t cause you to regain weight after a short period. You should, therefore, avoid restrictive diets that promise you quick weight loss and can be harmful to your overall well-being.

Some practical and beneficial lifestyle modifications include:

• Limit your intake of saturated and trans-fat. You can replace them with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
• Consume low-fat milk, meat, and cheese.
• Stay away from ready-made dough products, like cookies, donuts, and puff pastries. They usually have a high sugar content
• Use olive oil in place of butter and margarine.
• Increase your omega-3 fatty acid (healthy fats) intake by eating more fish and seafood.
• Reduce your alcohol consumption. In fact, you should avoid it entirely if you can.
• Consume carbohydrates with a low glycemic index, like whole grains, instead of simple carbohydrates with a high glycemic index, like soft drinks and sweets.
• Be more physically active. You can do this by participating in a sport or other activities you enjoy. You should also aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 times a week.

Key Takeaway

Though sugar- and fat-rich foods tend to be very delicious, they can also be very addictive and harmful to your health. This is why you cannot underestimate the importance of consuming such foods in moderation or avoiding them as much as possible.

However, if you are already overweight or have fatty liver disease, you can improve your health outcomes by making healthy lifestyle choices. Some beneficial life choices include a healthy diet and exercise routine.