Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD)
What is MASLD?
MASLD was previously known as Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a buildup of fat in the liver that is not due to alcohol consumption. MASLD is the most common liver disease in Canada, and affects a large proportion of the Canadian population (about 8 million people). It can occur due to many factors, including:
- genetics
- metabolic syndrome (a group of related metabolic disorders involving high cholesterol/blood pressure, obesity, and type 2 diabetes)
- A diet high in certain types of sugar and saturated fats. These excess sugars and fats are converted into fat in the liver, and stored as fatty tissue there.
What are the symptoms of MASLD?
MASLD is often considered a ‘silent disease’ because there aren’t many clear symptoms of it. Some individuals experience mild abdominal discomfort, fatigue or feeling generally unwell. Symptoms may only start appearing when MASLD has progressed. If MASLD does progress then it can lead to scarring on the liver (cirrhosis), reduced liver function and liver failure. MASLD can also impact other organs in the body and can increase the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease in addition to different types of cancer.
The good news is that if MASLD is detected and managed early enough it is possible to reduce the excess fat in the liver which can slow down or even stop the damage caused enabling the liver to fully recover.
What can you do to reduce the excess fat in your liver?
There are many diet and lifestyle strategies that can help to protect or even improve liver function, these include:
- Increasing physical activity
- Healthy weight loss (even 5-10% weight loss can help to improve liver fat)
- Decreasing intake of saturated and trans fats (commonly found in processed meats, high fat dairy products, and ultra processed convenience foods)
- Focusing on plant based sources of protein (beans, lentils, tofu), lean meats (skinless chicken, turkey, fish) and eggs
- Increasing intake of healthy fats, such as those found in fatty fish, nuts, olive oil and flaxseed oil
- Increasing fibre intake (fruits, vegetables, beans, and high fiber cereals or grains)
- Decreasing intake of added sugars (pop, juice, sweets, cookies/cakes)
- Using cooking methods such as baking, steaming, airfrying more often than pan frying or deep frying
- Trying to cook more at home and decreasing amount of meals purchased at restaurants and fast food outlets.
If you have any questions about diet and liver health, or if you would like to explore and experiment with what some of these changes could look like in your own routine please speak with your Constant Health Dietitian.