Unit 4-2 Response Behavior
Alexander Sy posted Jan 5, 2022 21:28
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide, with the prevalence of 25%. In the United States, NAFLD affects 30% of the population (Cotter TG, 2020). It is strongly associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia; these combined are called metabolic syndrome. NAFLD is a spectrum of disease that can progress to cirrhosis. It is now the second leading indication for liver transplantation in the United States (Cotter TG, 2020). Unfortunately, the only treatment for this condition is lifestyle modification through diet, physical activity, and losing weight.
I came from a family with type 2 diabetes. I do not have diabetes yet; however, 3 of my four siblings have diabetes and my mom. Diabetes is very prevalent in my family. I have a substantial genetic risk for it. If I don’t watch my carbohydrate intake and sweets and increase physical activity, I will get diabetes soon (perceived susceptibility). Diabetes increases the risk of fatty liver and fibrosis leading to cirrhosis, 50% to 70% of people with diabetes have NAFLD, and NAFLD severity (including fibrosis) tends to be worsened by the presence of diabetes (Lee YH, 2019) (perceived seriousness). Thus, this motivates me to increase physical activity.
Increasing physical activity has multiple benefits. Studies have shown that physical activity improves cognitive function, memory, and mental health aside from achieving weight loss (Bidzan-Bluma I, 2018). The American Gastroenterology Association recommends lifestyle modification using diet and exercise to achieve weight loss, as this is beneficial for all patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (Younossi ZM, 2021). Achieving ≥ 5% of total body weight and maintaining can decrease risk of fatty liver (perceived benefit) (Younossi ZM, 2021).
I used to exercise only on weekends, which is usually because of my busy schedule on weekdays, stopping me from being physically active (perceived barrier). However, I came across a New York Times article reporting that about 67% of Americans do not meet the standard exercise guidelines of about 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise, such as walking (Reynolds, 2020). The most common excuse would be “no available time.†In that article (Reynolds, 2020), she cited a study published in Preventing Chronic Disease showing that Americans have more than 5 hours a day of free time (Sturm, 2019). That is plenty of time to spare! In the study, men had more free time (mean [standard deviation], 356 [3] min/d) and spent more on leisure-time physical activity (mean [SD], 24 [3] min/d) than women did (free time mean [SD], 318 [2] min/d, P < .001; and leisure-time physical activity mean [SD], 14 [1] min/d, P < .001) (Strum, 2019). The finding suggests that most of us would have plenty of time to work out if we adjusted our schedules and turned off the phone, TV, or computer. Since then, I have walked up 10 flight stairs daily at work, get 2-3x on weekdays for at least 30 minutes of exercise either early morning or after work and continue weekend exercising.
References
- Bidzan-Bluma I, L. M. (2018). Physical Activity and Cognitive Functioning of Children: A Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 1-13.
- Cotter TG, R. M. (2020). Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease 2020: The State of the Disease. Gastroenterology, 1851-1864.
- Lee YH, C. Y. (2019). Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Diabetes. Part I: Epidemiology and Diagnosis. Diabetes Metabolism Journal, 31-45.
- Reynolds, G. (2020, January 1). No More Excuses Not to Exercise. New York Times.
- Sturm, R, D. A. (2019). Free Time and Physical Activity Among Americans 15 Years or Older: Cross-Sectional Analysis of the American Time Use Survey. Preventing Chronic Disease.
- Younossi ZM, C. K. (2021). AGA Clinical Practice Update on Lifestyle Modification Using Diet and Exercise to Achieve Weight Loss in the Management of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Expert Review. Gastroenterology, 912-918.
Sample Answer
Unit 4-2 Response Behavior
Great discussion, Alexander. I agree with you that Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common liver disease globally with a prevalence of 25 percent. NAFLD is a condition in which extra fat is stored in an individual’s liver (National Institutes of Health 2021). This particular buildup of the fat isn’t triggered by heavy alcohol use. When heavy alcohol use causes fat accumulation in the liver, this condition is known as alcohol-related liver disease. NAFLD is characterized by an aching or dull pain in the top right of the tummy, extreme tiredness, weakness, and unexplained weight loss. Roughly 100 million individuals in the United States are estimated to have NAFLD.
Diabetes is hereditary. Although it doesn’t have a clear inheritance pattern, numerous affected persons have close family members like a parent or a sibling with this disease. The danger of developing diabetes rises with the number of affected family members. I agree with you that diabetes increases the risk of fatty liver and fibrosis causing cirrhosis, 50‑70% of individuals with diabetes also have NAFLD, and the severity of NAFLD counting fibrosis tends to worsen with the occurrence of diabetes. Additionally, individuals who have diabetes are at risk of developing NAFLD and vice versa. This is because NAFLD increases the risk of diabetes complications, and diabetes, on the other hand, may increase the risk of NAFLD development (Xia, Bian & Gao 2019). NAFLD diagnosed on ultrasonography and without other causes of the liver disease usually increases the risk of cardiovascular actions by 1.87-fold of an individual having type 2 diabetes after changing for confounders.
Good diet and exercise are recommended for patients with NAFLD. For instance, on diet, NAFLD patients must consume more low-glycemic index foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. These foods impact their blood glucose lesser than high-glycemic-index foods like white bread and rice and potatoes. On diet as well, these patients should be enlightened to avoid taking foods and drinks that encompass large quantities of simple sugars, particularly fructose. When it comes to exercise, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is recommended as it is an attractive exercise model for treating clients with NAFLD, particularly those lacking time to exercise, whereas it decreases visceral adipose tissue, fibrosis, and intrahepatic fat (Berkovic et al. 2021).
References
- Berkovic, M. C., Bilic-Curcic, I., Mrzljak, A., & Cigrovski, V. (2021). NAFLD and Physical Exercise: Ready, Steady, Go!. Frontiers in Nutrition, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.734859
- National Institutes of Health. (2021, April 1). Definition & Facts of NAFLD & NASH. Retrieved from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/nafld-nash/definition-facts
- Xia, M. F., Bian, H., & Gao, X. (2019). NAFLD and diabetes: Two sides of the same coin? The rationale for gene-based personalized NAFLD treatment. Frontiers in pharmacology, 10, 877. Doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00877
