NAFLD, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is rapidly becoming the most common liver disease throughout the world. With 3 million new cases identified each year in the U.S. alone, experts estimate that the disease affects 30 percent of American adults and that number is only expected to rise.
This disease is characterized by fatty deposits that accumulate in the liver. These deposits often don’t cause any immediate symptoms on their own which is why NAFLD may remain undetected until internal imaging is conducted for other reasons. It is linked to conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
NAFLD is an umbrella term used to describe any kind of fatty deposits that occur in the liver for reasons other than alcohol use. The deposits themselves may not cause problems on their own, but it is possible that they may lead to a more serious condition called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, that is responsible for damage to the liver such as fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis, or liver cancer.
A study published just this month in the journal Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology looked at the effect of hydrogen water consumption on fatty deposits in the liver.
For the study, researchers followed 12 overweight patients with NAFLD who drank one liter of either hydrogen rich water or placebo water every day for 28 days.
At the end of the study period, researchers evaluated the patents using MRIs and blood tests and found that those who drank hydrogen water had “significantly reduced liver fat accumulation in individual liver regions-of-interest.”
Reductions were noted in both baseline liver fat levels as well as levels of serum aspartate transaminase, an enzyme that is released by the body when liver damage is detected.
If you have been diagnosed with NAFLD, experts agree that it’s important to take precautions to keep your liver healthy. Avoiding alcohol and certain medications, such as acetaminophen, that are known to cause liver damage can help. Talk to your doctor about getting vaccinated for the viruses that affect the liver, Hepatitis A and B. And consider adding hydrogen rich water to your diet to help promote liver health and reduce the buildup of fatty deposits.
