Fats Domino strolled out of New Orleans, Fats Waller tickled the ivories, and Fats Navarro trumpeted be-bop jazz.
They're responsible for a healthy dose of great American music. But the same cannot be said for the 30 percent of Americans who could be called "Fats Liver." That's right-almost one in three Americans has nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and it's a very unhealthy condition.
NAFLD develops alongside obesity, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides and lousy LDL cholesterol. It's usually detected when a blood test indicates that your liver enzymes are too high.
As it progresses, it can cause fatigue, upper-right abdominal pain, even mental confusion. Sometimes it leads to NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis), which increases your risk for cirrhosis, liver cancer and heart disease. But even in its mildest stages, NAFLD is a signal that you need a lifestyle makeover.
Now a study, published in Gastroenterology, reveals that a diet with 30 percent of calories from protein can reduce NAFLD by 36 to 48 percent in six weeks! We say, make sure those proteins come from animal sources like salmon, sea trout and skinless poultry, and rely on plant sources such as beans and whole grains.
So ask your doc for a blood test (and possibly an ultrasound) to check for NAFLD. And if you have it, opt for lean and plant-based proteins, and ditch added sugars or syrups and processed foods. Start a walking program, heading for 10,000 steps a day. That'll get you living well, not liver ill, in no time!
Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into "The Dr. Oz Show" or visit www.sharecare.com.
(c) 2016 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.