Fatty Liver is Becoming the Number One Cause of Liver Cancers in India

The definition of obesity has changed. Even those who look slim, without a big belly, may be obese. And this leads to many other health problems. The definition now includes a waist circumference of “about 80 cms for females and 90 centimetres for males, and this correlates with the amount of fat in your vital organs,” said Dr Aabha Nagral, who is, Director of Gastroenterology at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai and also runs their Fatty Liver programme, in a podcast discussion with Sidharth Bhatia. She mentioned not just changing lifestyles, which have become sedentary, and diets, which are full of processed fats, but also genetic and other factors for this. “If you have obese parents, you'll have obese children very often. So that's the genes, but they eat the same food, they have similar physical habits as well.” Her own specialty is fatty liver disease, which she said is growing in India. “Earlier, you would go for an ultrasound, you would find a fatty liver, and the sonologist would say, it’s okay. But now we know that fatty liver is not as benign as it seems. It could progress to a condition called cirrhosis. And also it is becoming, soon going to become, almost becoming, I would say, a number one cause of developing liver cancers.” Cirrhosis, she emphasised, is not just caused by alcohol. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is now becoming the leading cause of liver disease in the country, she said. Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month.    / @thewirenews