Groundbreaking study: low carb is an effective treatment for fatty liver
Approximately 25 percent of adults in the Western world have fatty liver and are thus at an increased risk of developing cirrhosis, liver cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Fatty liver is considered a chronic disease, but researchers at the University of Gothenburg have now proven that it is possible to get rid of the liver fat in just two weeks. The medication is called: a strict low carb or keto diet.
The study, which was published in Cell Metabolism (http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)30054-8), included only ten people and is small, but it’s a very interesting piece to dig into as a biochemist like yours truly. It’s an extremely detailed map showing what happens when a person cuts down on sugar and starch in their diet. The liver metabolism changed almost immediately. Instead of creating fat, it started burning it and already in the first day you could see a significant reduction in liver fat. As a great side effect, the participants also improved their cholesterol profiles.
Both the Gothenburg and the USCF study are small and lacking a control group. In order to establish a new treatment, a better form of studies is required, randomized controlled trials. The Dietary Science Foundation just invested in this type of study at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, where a strict low-carb diet will be compared to 5:2 intermittent fasting and conventional treatment. If the study confirms the results above, it’s an important step in establishing a new dietary treatment in the medical care. And a chronic disease with over one billion sufferers, might turn out to be treatable in just a couple of weeks. Guess if that would reduce a lot of costs and strain on the medical system?
See https://www.dietdoctor.com/groundbreaking-study-low-carb-effective-treatment-fatty-liver
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Groundbreaking study: low carb is an effective treatment for fatty liver – Diet Doctor The following is a guest post by Ann Fernholm, author, science journalist and PhD in molecular biotechnology. She is the founder of the not-for-profit Dietary Science Foundation. Approximately 25 percent of adults in the Western world have fatty liver and are thus at an increased risk of developing… |