Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: 5 Tips for Treatment, Prevention
4. Don't count on experimental treatments. While some studies suggest that experimental treatments such as taking vitamins C and E could combat fatty liver disease, others show contradictory findings. At this point, data are too limited to support the use of those vitamins in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Other still-experimental therapies include selenium and a nutrient called betaine; they act by limiting oxidative stress that seems to increase in the livers of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Clinical trials are underway to flesh out whether such therapies are beneficial.
The use of newer diabetes medicines—metformin (sold under the brand names Fortamet, Glucophage, Glumetza, and Riomet), rosiglitazone (Avandia), and pioglitazone (Actos)—to treat fatty liver disease is also considered experimental, except in patients who are also diabetic. (And there has been some concern over data that suggest that Avandia may raise heart-attack risk.) Because most people who have fatty liver are also insulin resistant, it's thought that taking the diabetes medicines may increase the body's sensitivity to insulin and help limit injury to the liver. Studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health are in progress to determine whether there's any merit to this idea.
5. Get other medical conditions treated. It's not uncommon for people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease to have other medical problems, such as diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol. People with fatty liver should follow their doctors' recommendations for medications and control of these conditions.
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