Liver- NOT to be ignored in Diabetes

Sleeping, Thinking, Dreaming, Relaxing Enjoying...whatever you may think of  Or even Cannot be thought of requires energy. The most vital organs of our body like Heart & Brain do not have any energy sources of their own- so they rely on the Glucose present in the blood stream for their energy needs.

Liver stores Glucose from the Blood when its in abundance- that is after meals with the help of hormone Insulin, and gives it back to the blood whenever the levels of Blood Glucose start falling with the help of Glucagon which is a hormone produced by the pancreas just as Insulin. Insulin also acts as a restrainer to prevent excessive release of stored glucose from the liver into the bloodstream. In normal non -diabetic individuals, Insulin and Glucagon hormones work in perfect coordination to keep Blood glucose levels within a very tight range. But with the onset of Diabetes- in particular Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus liver fails to recognize the signals of insulin and keeps on pouring glucose into the blood stream- irrespective of the requirements. This causes the high fasting blood glucose levels- that is early in the mornings or before meals. Many highly effective Diabetes medications like Metformin act on this mechanism to control the fasting Blood Glucose levels.

More than 2/3rds of Diabetes suffer from some ailment of the Liver. A very common problem faced by many Diabetics is the Fatty Liver- more scientifically Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. This is the result of fat deposits around the functional units of liver-the Hepatocytes- these are highly specialized cells responsible for all the chemical juggling and mixing performed by the liver which keeps us alive.

Slowly and steadily the cells of liver get damaged and are replaced by scar tissues- causing fibrosis and ultimately Cirrhosis of the Liver. This is a serious condition which may end up in liver failure end Hepatocellular Carcinoma as well- a form of Liver Cancer.As this condition is completely asymptomatic individuals may not pay any attention to it and progress to end stage Liver disease.

But prevention and treatment of this condition may be rather simple and easy:

Change dietary habits:

• Take plenty of green vegetable
• Fruits
• Whole grains
• Avoid Fats
• Avoid to much Alcohol
• Fried foods
• Cream , Butter & Oil

Be physically active

• Indulge in sports activities
• Loose weight

All these efforts would not only help normalize fatty liver but help in controlling Diabetes as well. Do consult your doctor is you are overweight, your sugar levels are not controlled or have family history of Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Liver Disease as all these may be risk factors.

Fatty Liver can only be diagnosed with help of Blood Tests and Ultrasonography of Liver, even moderately raised liver enzymes may be indicative of this problem and require a thorough workup.