4 in 10 Korean adults have fatty liver disease — here's what to eat

Four in 10 Korean adults are living with fatty liver disease, researchers warn.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a metabolic condition spreading worldwide alongside obesity and diabetes. It develops when excess fat accumulates in the liver — not from heavy drinking, but from a high-fat diet that triggers overproduction of fat in the liver or impairs its removal. According to statistics on fatty liver disease and diabetes published by the Fatty Liver Research Group of the Korean Diabetes Association, four in 10 adults aged 20 and older in South Korea have the condition, raising alarm among health experts. Most patients show no obvious symptoms, making the disease easy to overlook. Left untreated, it can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and ultimately liver cancer, making prevention and treatment critical.

A research team led by Choi Hyo-kyung at the Korea Food Research Institute has confirmed through animal studies that shepherd's purse can help prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Shepherd's purse is a seasonal spring green prized for its slightly bitter, aromatic flavor and its ability to revive a flagging appetite. Among vegetables, it ranks among the highest in protein content and is rich in vitamins A and C as well as calcium, making it a popular ingredient in soups and seasoned side dishes. It is also well known as a health food containing bioactive compounds such as kaempferol and quercetin. Its protein content is roughly twice that of spinach, and it is considered beneficial for cardiovascular health.

Through cell experiments, the research team confirmed that shepherd's purse suppresses lipid accumulation in liver cells by inhibiting genes involved in lipid metabolism. The team said this effect is achieved through inhibition of histone acetyltransferase activity, a key factor in epigenetic regulation.

Animal studies conducted after the cell experiments showed that shepherd's purse reduced lipid accumulation in the liver and visceral fat tissue of mice made obese through a high-fat diet. It also effectively lowered blood triglyceride and total cholesterol levels.

"This research confirmed that shepherd's purse has excellent efficacy in preventing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and also helps lower blood cholesterol," Choi said. "Regularly eating shepherd's purse soup or seasoned shepherd's purse dishes should produce measurable reductions in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cholesterol levels."

Separate research has found that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients who regularly drink coffee can significantly reduce their risk of developing liver fibrosis. The protective effect was particularly pronounced among those who drink two to three cups a day.

A barista pulls an espresso shot at a coffee shop in Austin, Texas. [Getty Images Bank]

A research team led by Park Ju-yong, a professor in the Department of Big Data Medical Convergence at Eulji University, analyzed the relationship between coffee consumption and liver health among 6,592 men and women aged 40 to 69 — including 5,266 without non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and 1,326 who had the condition but had not yet developed liver fibrosis.

Among the 5,266 participants who had no non-alcoholic fatty liver disease at the start of the study, 43.6 percent (2,298 people) were diagnosed with the condition over a follow-up period of 11.6 years. In this group, coffee consumption showed no meaningful association with the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Among the 1,326 participants who already had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease at the outset, however, 15.6 percent (207 people) developed severe liver fibrosis over a follow-up period of 15.7 years. Regular coffee drinkers in this group had a 21 percent lower risk of developing severe liver fibrosis.

"Coffee consumption suppressed or improved the development of severe liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients," the research team said in the paper.

The risk of liver fibrosis was particularly low among non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients who drank two or more cups of coffee a day.

Among non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients who drank two or more cups of coffee daily, the risk of liver fibrosis fell by 43 percent; those who drank at least two but fewer than three cups saw a 49 percent reduction.

The research team said the findings indicate that coffee has a preventive effect against the progression of liver fibrosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients.

nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com