Can vegetarians also cause fatty liver? Key point: Insufficient protein intake

Can a vegetarian diet also cause fatty liver? This is a myth among Chinese people. Doctors point out that according to statistics, about 20% of vegetarians will suffer from fatty liver. This is because vegetarians’ insufficient protein intake can easily lead to reduced lipoprotein synthesis and impaired fat transport in liver cells, which in turn can induce or aggravate fatty liver and lead to the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Zhou Shuoqu, a family medicine physician at the Ministry of Health Shuanghe Hospital, pointed out that fatty liver is a liver disease caused by eating, which is mainly due to excessive fat accumulation in liver cells. The liver is the place where lipids are synthesized, transported and utilized, and it does not store large amounts of fat. When the circulation of fat in the liver is out of balance, fat will accumulate in liver cells and form fatty liver.

Fatty people and thin people may suffer from fatty liver

Clinically, fatty liver is closely related to excessive alcohol intake, but the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver is also high in Taiwan. It is generally believed that non-alcoholic fatty liver is related to obesity, hyperlipidemia, and blood sugar control. Although there are usually no symptoms in the early stages, continued progression may cause abnormal liver function.

According to statistics, obese patients with a BMI (body mass index) of more than 30 have a 3.5 times higher risk of developing fatty liver disease than the average person, and every increase in BMI by 1 may increase the incidence rate by 1.2%. However, thin people may also have fatty liver. Even if they are light in weight, their body fat percentage may still be too high, and there is a risk of fatty liver.

Excessive intake of fried vegetarian food may lead to fatty liver

Dr. Zhou Shuoqu emphasized that fatty liver generally has no obvious symptoms. Many people discover it during regular health checks, or when their liver function is abnormally elevated and they experience symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, anorexia, jaundice, swelling in the right upper abdomen, and other discomfort, and only then do they seek medical attention.

It is worth noting that the occurrence of fatty liver has no absolute relationship with meat and vegetables. Although some people are vegetarians, their intake of staple foods is high and their diet contains a lot of carbohydrates. On the other hand, if this person consumes less calories, it is also easy for calories to be converted into fat and attached to the liver. In addition, consuming too much fried or processed vegetarian foods will often lead to excessive fat intake. If there is a lack of protein, it can easily cause fatty liver.

If people want to eliminate fatty liver, they should start from four aspects: regular exercise, balanced diet, abstinence from alcohol, and health check-ups.

1. Regular exercise: find a way of exercise that suits you and develop the habit of exercising.

2. Balanced diet: Change your lifestyle and eating habits. In addition to having three meals on time, you should also eat less oil and salt, and maintain a normal lifestyle.

3. Quit alcoholism: If you have the habit of drinking, you should reduce or change your drinking habit.

4. Health check-up: Develop a habit of regular health check-ups.

【Health Tips】:

Many people have an ostrich mentality towards health checks, thinking that they won’t know if there is any problem without a check-up. The correct concept is to regard health checks as a life attitude and look at the results of the check-up with a positive attitude. After all, prevention is better than cure. Through abdominal ultrasound during health checkups, as well as metabolism-related blood tests such as liver function, blood lipids, and blood sugar, you can regularly understand the status and changes of fatty liver, and remind yourself to change your lifestyle and eating habits to achieve the ultimate goal of a healthy life.