Fatty Liver, High Cholesterol, and Statins

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Millions of people in America suffer from high cholesterol levels in their blood. It is proven that high cholesterol levels contribute to many other diseases and medical conditions like heart disease and fatty liver. Fatty liver is a reversible condition were fat accumulates in the liver causing a myriad of different problems if left untreated.Many physicians feel that it is completely safe to treat high cholesterol and fatty liver with Statin drugs and some research backs it up. The only problem is that Statin drugs are linked to very negative side effects and other medical conditions.

Diagnosing Fatty Liver

Fatty liver occurs when fat from other parts of the body are transferred to the liver which increases the amount of fat from normal to abnormal. In other situations the liver may loose the ability to break down or remove fat thus causing serious medical problems. (1) Patients usually do not experience any immediate symptoms of fatty liver, however, they will have minor elevations in liver enzymes tests as well as an enlarged liver. Enzyme levels can be detected with blood work and an enlarged liver can be detected through ultrasound tests, computed tomography scans, or MRI"s. (1)

Research on Fatty Liver and Statins

A report published in September of 2006 in The Journal of Cell Metabolism found that low-cholesterol diets and cholesterol lowering drugs like Statins did prove to be very useful in combating fatty liver diseases. (2) However, there have been a lot of negative feedback and research in the last year proving that Statins may not be as safe as originally assumed. Not only are Statin drugs linked to cancer and liver disease but they also have a long list of negative side effects attached to them. Some side effects include: nausea, irritability and short tempers, homicidal impulses, rapid loss of mental clarity, amnesia, kidney failure, diarrhea, muscle aching and weakness, tingling or cramping in the legs and an inability to walk, sleeping problems, erectile dysfunction, nerve damage, and mental confusion (3).

Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol

Statins have been proven to lower cholesterol levels in the blood and treat fatty liver disease. However, the side effects and links to other medical conditions like cancer and further liver damage or extremely concerning. This brings many to the dilemma of exactly how to lower cholesterol levels and how to prevent fatty liver without the additional side effects. What many people do not realize is that there are natural ways to lower cholesterol levels. Not only can you loose weight, eat a well balanced diet and exercise to lower cholesterol levels but you can also take natural supplements.

Sources:

(1) http://www.healthscout.com/ency/1/578/main.html#DescriptionofFattyLiver

(2) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060915205102.htm

(3) http://www.newstarget.com/001353.html

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