Fatty Liver: Causes, Risks, and What You Can Do About It

When your liver stores too much fat, it’s called fatty liver, a condition where excess fat builds up in liver cells, often without symptoms until damage occurs. Also known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, it’s not just about drinking—it’s about how your body handles sugar, fat, and insulin. About 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. has it, and many don’t know until a routine blood test or ultrasound shows it.

Fatty liver isn’t one thing. It can be simple fat buildup, or it can progress to inflammation and scarring—called NASH, which stands for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. This is where things get risky. Left unchecked, it can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, or even liver cancer. The biggest triggers? Being overweight, having type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or metabolic syndrome. It’s not caused by alcohol, but it often shows up alongside other conditions tied to how we eat and move. Your liver doesn’t scream for help—it just quietly stops working as well as it should.

What makes fatty liver tricky is that you might feel fine. No pain. No jaundice. Just a slow, silent decline. But the good news? In its early stages, it’s often reversible. Cutting back on sugar, losing even 5-10% of body weight, and getting regular movement can shrink that fat. Medications aren’t the first answer—lifestyle is. And while some supplements are marketed for liver health, the science is thin. What actually works? Real food. Real movement. Real consistency.

You’ll find posts here that dig into how fatty liver connects to other conditions—like insulin resistance, sleep apnea, and even how certain medications can make it worse. You’ll see what tests doctors actually use to track it, what diets help most, and how to tell if what you’re doing is making a difference. No fluff. No hype. Just what matters for your liver—and your long-term health.