Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has grown to impact one-third of Americans. Know your risk before it's too late.The liver is the seat of overall health and wellness, and the health of nearly every organ is intimately connected with your liver. A healthy liver is essential to a fully functioning body, but our modern sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits can truly damage the liver -- and thus damage your health overall. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has grown to impact one-third of Americans. Because its symptoms often don't manifest until the liver is seriously compromised, many people are not aware that they are at risk. Fatty liver disease increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke) and several other devastating conditions such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Fat is also as dangerous to the liver as alcohol. Kristin Kirkpatrick, author of Skinny Liver: A Proven Program to Prevent and Reverse the New Silent Epidemic—Fatty Liver Disease, joins Dr. Friedman to discuss this growing health problem, as well as steps you can take to reduce your risk.
