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Snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods is linked to abdominal fat and fatty liver disease, according to a new study. The study found that a hypercaloric diet with frequent meals increases intrahepatic triglyceride content and fat around the waist, but increasing meal size did not. Studies have linked obesity to the accumulation of abdominal fat and fat in the liver, making non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) one of the most prevalent diseases of the liver.
'American children consume up to 27 per cent of calories from high-fat and high-sugar snacks,' said lead author Dr. Mireille Serlie with the Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam in The Netherlands. 'Our study examines if high meal frequency, with snacking, compared to large meal consumption contributes to increased intrahepatic and abdominal fat,' Dr. Serlie said.
For the study, 36 lean men were randomised to a hypercaloric diet or a eucaloric control diet (balanced diet) for six weeks. Researchers measured IHTG and abdominal fat using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and insulin sensitivity before and after the diet. Those subjects on the hypercaloric diet ate 3 main meals along with additional calories from high fat and/or high sugar drinks, with or in between meals, to increase meal size or meal frequency.
Results show that high calorie diets increased BMI. Eating more frequent meals significantly increased IHTG, while larger sized meals did not. Researchers found that belly fat increased in the high fat/high sugar frequency group and in the high sugar-frequency group. A decrease in liver insulin sensitivity was found in the high fat/high sugar-frequency group. 'Our study provides the first evidence that eating more often, rather than consuming large meals, contributes to fatty liver independent of body weight gain,' said Dr. Serlie. 'These findings suggest that by cutting down on snacking and encouraging three balanced meals each day over the long term may reduce the prevalence of NAFLD,' Serlie added.]
Snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods is linked to abdominal fat and fatty liver disease, according to a new study. The study found that a hypercaloric diet with frequent meals increases intrahepatic triglyceride content and fat around the waist, but increasing meal size did not. Studies have linked obesity to the accumulation of abdominal fat and fat in the liver, making non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) one of the most prevalent diseases of the liver.
'American children consume up to 27 per cent of calories from high-fat and high-sugar snacks,' said lead author Dr. Mireille Serlie with the Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam in The Netherlands. 'Our study examines if high meal frequency, with snacking, compared to large meal consumption contributes to increased intrahepatic and abdominal fat,' Dr. Serlie said.
For the study, 36 lean men were randomised to a hypercaloric diet or a eucaloric control diet (balanced diet) for six weeks. Researchers measured IHTG and abdominal fat using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and insulin sensitivity before and after the diet. Those subjects on the hypercaloric diet ate 3 main meals along with additional calories from high fat and/or high sugar drinks, with or in between meals, to increase meal size or meal frequency.
Results show that high calorie diets increased BMI. Eating more frequent meals significantly increased IHTG, while larger sized meals did not. Researchers found that belly fat increased in the high fat/high sugar frequency group and in the high sugar-frequency group. A decrease in liver insulin sensitivity was found in the high fat/high sugar-frequency group.
'Our study provides the first evidence that eating more often, rather than consuming large meals, contributes to fatty liver independent of body weight gain,' said Dr. Serlie. 'These findings suggest that by cutting down on snacking and encouraging three balanced meals each day over the long term may reduce the prevalence of NAFLD,' Serlie added.
What is non-fatty liver disease?
When we hear the words liver cirrhosis* or liver disease we immediately think that the person must be heavy drinker. But, did you know that even those people who don't drink alcohol at all or are light drinkers can suffer from a form of liver diseases, aptly named non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We spoke to Dr Jayshri Shah, a hepatologist (liver specialist) at Kokilaben Dhirubai Ambani Hospital about the disease and how one can prevent it.
*Liver cirrhosis refers to slowly progressing disease in which the healthy liver tissue gets scarred which will eventually prevent the liver from functioning properly.
What is non-alcoholic fatty liver?
This simply means accumulation of excess fat in the liver. This type of liver disease is commonly seen in patients who do not consume alcohol and the main characteristic of this condition is the accumulation of fat in the patient's liver. Since a normal, healthy liver does not have any fat in it, this condition poses a unique problem for the patient, who does not indulge in drinking alcohol. (Read: Why is the liver so important?)
How does one get it?
While there are a number of causes of fatty liver; the most common cause is alcohol consumption. But other risk factors include obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, altered lipid profile with hypertriglyceridemia (excessive build-up of triglycerides in one's blood), hypercholesterolemia (excessive build-up of cholesterol in one's blood) and hypothyroidism (low production of the thyroid hormones). Read more about fatty liver disease.
With inputs from PTI
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