People often think that fatty liver disease is only a health problem affecting adults. But over the years, we are noticing an increase in the number of children and teenagers with the same condition. This is a situation to worry about because fatty liver disease usually develops silently, without any noticeable symptoms.
Fatty liver disease, commonly called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, occurs due to excessive fat accumulation in the liver. If ignored, the condition may cause inflammation, liver damage, and some other severe liver diseases in the future.
Why Even Slim Children Can Develop Fatty Liver?
It's a misconception that only children with obesity are at risk. Doctors are noticing fatty liver even in children who have a normal body weight with unhealthy lifestyle habits.
A child may look slim on the outside but still have excess fat, in this case, the liver begins to store fat even if it doesn't appear and it's referred to as “lean fatty liver”.
Lifestyles have a major hand in the increase of liver disease. Children spend hours on screens, and have very little physical activity, sleep schedule is uneven and consume foods that are high in sugar, and unhealthy fats with this having packaged snacks and sugary drinks will contribute to poor metabolic health.
As fatty liver disease is usually silent, most children do not complain of any symptoms or feel any distress. They remain active, attend school, and seem perfectly healthy. To make a note for parents in these situations, the condition is discovered only during a routine blood test or an ultrasound scan.
Who Needs Real Attention?
Parents should remember that body weight alone does not define a child in perfect health. A child with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) can still have poor eating habits, low physical fitness, and metabolic changes that increase the risk of fatty liver.
Paying attention to waist size, daily activity levels, sleep schedules, and food choices is just as important as monitoring weight.
And those kids who have a family history of type 2 diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol or fatty liver disease may have a higher risk.
What Can Be Done?
The fatty liver disease in children can be reversed if detected early. Medicines are always not in the first step of treatment, improving lifestyle by improving everyday habits with adequate physical activity and limiting the processed foods and having a 7-8 hours of sleep can significantly improve liver and keep children away from disease.
As parents, it’s important to assure the fact that more than appearance, a healthy lifestyle is very much important for every child and building a healthy lifestyle will lead to a healthier adulthood tomorrow.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are of the author and not of Health Dialogues. The Editorial/Content team of Health Dialogues has not contributed to the writing/editing/packaging of this article.
