Carbs and Fatty Liver
I saw this article on Eurekalert yesterday: Quick-burning carbs may cause fatty liver
Diets rich in rapidly-digested carbohydrates not only expand waistlines, but may also cause fatty liver, a condition that can lead to liver failure and death, finds a new study in mice.
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Fatty liver is becoming more common in Americans, especially in children, says Ludwig. Many cases in adults can be explained by alcoholism, but not the pediatric cases. Where just one case of fatty liver was reported in children in 1980, now between 1 in 4 and 1 in 2 overweight American children are estimated to have the condition. As these millions of children age, some will progress to full-blown liver disease.
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Low-fat diets are currently the standard treatment, Ludwig says, but many children with fatty liver don’t respond to them. “We think it is a misconception that the fat you’re eating goes into the liver,” he says.
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He notes that the French delicacy pate de fois gras – the fatty liver of a duck or goose – is produced by over-feeding the animals with high-glycemic index grains.
This is just more evidence of what many people are already aware of: sugar and high-fructose corn syrup will destroy the body. Along with that, a diet rich in starches, processed grains, potatoes, and other high glycemic index carbs will do the same. A high-carb diet wreaks all kinds of havoc like deranged metabolic function and setting one on the path to the breakdown of essential organs, like the liver and pancreas. Today’s kids are increasingly overfed, usually on junk food, and underexercised, leading to an abundance of obese young’ins on the path to a lifetime of poor health and poor quality of life. Liver disease and liver failure are certainly life-threatening illnesses and I don’t think that bag of Oreos is worth dying young.
Dr. Eades talked a bit about the glycemic index and why it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And he’s right, as usual. The interactions amongst different foods in a meal renders much of the value of the GI useless. My mind says that ceteris parabus, GI can be used to make a comparison though. It would seem that between a meal of 8oz of ribeye, a salad with 2 oz of oil and vinegar dressing, and a 250 calorie baked potato with 1 tbsp of butter or the same meal but subbing out the baked potato and butter for equal calories of green beans topped with the same 1 tbsp of butter, the GI will matter. Maybe I’m wrong.
This is yet another reason why a diet built around natural foods, foods that can be eaten without being processed, is what your body is screaming for. Meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, good oils (like olive, coconut, and palm), grass-fed animal fats, and enough fruit, tubers, and squashes to fuel your activity levels will lead you to optimal health.
About Scott
Scott Kustes loves to cook and loves to eat. He started Real Food University to help you get maximum enjoyment out of the meals that you eat. To find out more about how he has rebelled against the fast food culture and counting calories or carbs, join the Real Food Revolution.
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Hi Scott,
This fatty liver study caught my eye, too, but for a different reason. One of the things that happens to many obese cats is they develop fatty livers. Cats are prone to anorexia (not eating) when they are sick and obese cats with fatty livers are at high risk of fatality if they go too long without eating.
Guess how most cats get obese? Eating high carb dry cat food (meat flavored cereal). Cats can’t effectively use carb calories for energy so it the carbs are converted into fat in the liver. Cats do a great job of efficiently making glucose out of animal protein. That’s why the healthiest food for cats is much closer to their natural diet, i.e., raw meat & bones (a reverse engineered mouse, if you will). Getting off commercial cat food and onto a raw, balanced whole food homemade diet saved the life of my older cat.
Yep, cats are strict carnivores in nature. Meat, meat, meat is the diet of any wild cat. Dogs are slightly more omnivorous and need just a bit of vegetable matter. My dog is also on a raw diet…chicken backs and a bit of vegetable slop once or twice a day, depending on whether she decides to eat or not. Many people not only feed their dogs and cats meat flavored cereal, they also free-feed them, so the food sits out all day and the animal eats at will.
Cheers
Scott
[...] Full Article. Via Modern Forager. [...]
[...] Too much sugar screws up liver function. Similarly, eating too many carbs is associated with fatty liver disease. [...]