How Bariatric Surgery Improves Fatty Liver Disease
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Fatty Liver
Last week I posted on the importance of non-acoholic fatty liver disease as one of the most common yet insidious consequences of obesity.
Now, a paper by Bower and colleagues from Imperial College London, published in Obesity Surgery, provides a systematic review of the impact of bariatric surgery on liver biochemistry and histology.
The review clearly shows that bariatric surgery is associated with a significant reduction in the steatosis, fibrosis, hepatocyte ballooning and lobular inflammation. Surgery is also associated with a reduction in liver enzyme levels, with statistically significant reductions in ALT, AST, ALP and gamma-GT.
However, there is considerable variability in these outcomes and between different types of interventions – clearly suggesting that more research on this issue is needed.
Nevertheless, at this time it appears that bariatric surgery may well be the most effective treatment for fatty liver disease.
@DrSharma
Edmonton, AB
Friday, June 26, 2015
Are you aware of the work by Dr Roy Taylor at Newcastle University?
His results also suggest a treatment for fatty liver, and without major surgery to re-arrange the digestive tract.
Speaking only for myself, I’d give his method a go before even considering replumbing my insides.