The liver is what really feeds you every time you eat. After you eat and your body digests the food, the nutrients go into your blood and go right to the liver to be processed. The liver decides whether to store all that goodness for later or let it go now, depending on what your body needs.

It’s normal for your liver to have some fat in it. But if it’s more than 5% to 10% of your liver’s actual weight, you’re in trouble. You probably have fatty liver disease, and if you drink, there’s no easy way to say this: stop.

Uh, what is fatty liver disease? I haven’t heard of that.

When you eat too many fats and calories, your liver can’t handle them all, and you get a fatty liver. So, it starts to store fats in the cells of the liver, which makes it more likely to get damaged by things like inflammation and scarring.

You might have fatty liver disease and not even know it. Most of the time, there aren’t any symptoms at first. But over time, which could take years or even decades, you might start to notice symptoms like tiredness, weakness, nausea, or trouble concentrating.

Types of fatty liver disease

Most of the time, there are two main types of fatty liver disease:

• Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD): This happens when you drink too much alcohol. But it could even happen after only a short period of heavy drinking. A lot of the time, the genes you get from your parents affect your chances of getting ALD. Other things that can increase your risk are being overweight, getting too much iron, and having hepatitis C (1), (2).
• Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD): It’s not clear what causes this condition, but it does seem to run in families. If you are overweight and have diabetes or high cholesterol, your chances of getting NAFLD go up (3). Other things that can raise your risk are viral hepatitis, some medications, not getting enough food, and losing weight too quickly.

You can also get fatty liver disease suddenly while pregnant, which could cause the baby’s or mother’s kidneys or liver to fail (4).

Are there any signs I should look out for?

Yes! When your liver gets too busy and can’t get rid of toxins from your body as quickly as it should, it sends out certain warning signs. If you see any of the following six signs, you might need to detox your liver:

1. More “visceral fat” or belly fat

A build-up of fat is one sign that your liver is getting sluggish and the toxins are slowing down its metabolic activity. Your liver is in charge of breaking down fat, so it will store fats that it can’t break down. Studies show that people with fatty liver disease, even those who are not overweight, have more visceral fat (the fat around your organs) and abdominal fat (5).

2. Too much sweating

When a liver is overworked and under a lot of stress, it can make too much heat inside itself. Because the liver is so big, it makes the whole body too hot, which is what patients call “hot flashes.” To cool down, the body will sweat more often and let out extra toxins through the skin (6).

3. Long-Term Tiredness

When an organ starts to show signs of not working right, the body pumps more blood to it to make up for the “damage.” This can cause energy loss, confusion, weakness, and trouble concentrating (7). Researchers also think that fatty liver changes the way hormones are made and the chemistry of the brain, which makes people feel tired.

4. Breath that smells bad

A sluggish liver can’t fully break down nutrients and get rid of toxins, which causes impurities to build up in the blood. This can make bacteria grow more in your mouth, which can make your breath smell bad or make you smell bad.

5. Skin that is itchy and has acne

Researchers think that insulin is one of the main hormones that cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (8). High levels of insulin can cause a lot of problems, one of which is that your skin makes more sebum, which can cause acne.

6. Not being sensitive to chemicals

Do you get drunk easily when you drink? Do you get anxious when you smell perfumes and other scents? These are all signs that your liver is full of toxins that it can’t handle anymore.

Good luck!