As an organ the size of a football, the liver plays an outsized role in maintaining good health. It filters out toxins in the bloodstream, breaks down fats, stores nutrients and balances energy metabolism. It also breaks down alcohol in the blood and helps create proteins responsible for blood clotting.
This being said, the effects of an unhealthy liver can ripple through the body and increase your risk of various diseases. Dr. Kenneth Cusi, an endocrinologist at the University of Florida, said that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Type 2 diabetes are closely linked. Cusi found that at least 80 percent of diabetics also have a fatty liver.
“When I was in medical school, people thought obesity-related fat in the liver was an innocent bystander,” Cusi said. “Now endocrinologists are starting to realize this is a problem that hits home.” Read more…
