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'Quick-burning' carbohydrates may cause fatty liver
A diet high in 'quick-burning' carbohydrates may contribute to the development of fatty liver disease, according to American research.
A study on mice by Massachusetts' Children's Hospital Boston (CHB) reveals that rapidly-digested carbohydrates contribute not only to general weight-gain, but may also cause fatty liver. The disease, which is increasingly common in the US, results in fat deposits collecting within the liver's tissues. It can lead to the organ's inflammation and even its failure.
David Ludwig MD, PhD, who led the research, explained that food sugars drive up the production of insulin by the pancreas, which causes the body to produce and store fat. The hormone is released directly into the liver where it has the most pronounced affect.
Ludwig says that the standard treatment for the disease, a low-fat diet, may be based on a misconception that fat from the diet accumulates in the liver.
'Our experiment creates a very strong argument that a high-glycemic index diet causes, and a low-glycemic index diet prevents, fatty liver in humans,' he said.
The team is beginning a clinical trial in the hope of confirming their findings in humans.
Category: Healthy Lifestyle
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