A Healthy Lifestyle Is Recommended To Avoid Fatty Liver Among Children, Says Expert

Children and parents should focus on two significant lifestyle changes - avoiding processed foods and inculcating physical activity into their daily routines.

Role Of Diet And Sedentary Lifestyle In Fatty Liver DiseaseIn Children: Over the last few years, fatty liver disease has become quite common in children, being a metabolic syndrome with direct co-relation to diet and physical activity.

1. Regarding diet, the intake of sugar children consume is a crucial factor we should closely look at. For example, an item from a bakery made of maida (refined wheat flour) with sugar and fat in it is a recipe for disaster, although children enjoy these foods quite often. Sugar comes in various forms (like biscuits, candies, cakes, pastries, etc.) and types one such is table sugar, made up of sucrose, which has two components: glucose and fructose.
2. Fructose, a very harmful component, is directly converted into fat in the liver. It causes fatty liver, which can lead to cirrhosis and other liver diseases over time.
3. Another concern is carbonated drinks like soda, which children consume frequently. They also have high sugar content, which is detrimental to health.
4. According to the NOVA classification, four food types fall into category four, from non-processed to ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods contain many preservatives, colouring agents, emulsifiers, etc., which can negatively affect our metabolism.
5. People, especially children and teenagers, consume high-calorie foods like deep-fried foods with high-fat content. The fat these items contain is not appropriately metabolised and stored in the liver, potentially leading to fatty liver disease. Other problems include altered lipid contents in the blood, which can cause various health issues like fatty liver, heart disease, and blood vessel-related problems.
6. The other aspect is the lack of physical activity. Even if a child consumes a healthy diet with no processed food, added sugars, excessive added sugars, or excessive fatty food, a sedentary lifestyle can still lead to fatty liver in these kids. They burn fewer calories, which results in more unnecessary calories being accumulated in the body and liver.

Healthy Lifestyle Choices to Avoid Fatty Liver Among Children

Dr Srikanth K P, Consultant - Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road, shares that children and parents should focus on two significant lifestyle changes - avoiding processed foods and inculcating physical activity into their daily routines.

1. Ensure kids eat healthy foods and limit the availability of processed items.
2. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, a schedule should be in place that includes meaningful outdoor physical activities.
3. Teachers should emphasize and guide kids on healthy eating.
4. In addition, school authorities should also avoid processed food outlets near or inside school canteens.

Unfortunately, even though it is easily doable, not enough action is being taken to address this issue.

But Should Kids Avoid Processed Food All The Time?

Not necessarily. Consumption of these foods occasionally should not cause any health problems. Still, the current trend remains high intake of processed items because as children develop a taste for these foods, this leads to frequent consumption. Therefore, specific emphasis should be placed on avoiding processed foods containing sugar, particularly fructose, commonly found in most sweetened products popular among children.