Feeling tired is usually not something to worry about. However, if you feel tired all the time and simple tasks like walking make you breathless, your exhaustion can be a sign of an underlying illness.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), for example, is usually accompanied by chronic fatigue. A 2020 study suggests that this may be because NAFLD impairs the body’s ability to absorb iron. This, in turn, can cause anemia and fatigue.

Iron deficiency causes fatigue in people with fatty livers

NAFLD refers to a range of liver diseases affecting people who drink little to no alcohol. As its name suggests, it means you have too much fat stored in your liver cells. Symptoms of NAFLD include fatigue and pain or discomfort in the upper right abdomen.

For their study, Australian researchers analyzed the health records of nearly 850 children in Australia to determine whether poor iron absorption in people with NAFLD reduces cardiorespiratory fitness.

Iron is an important component of hemoglobin, a protein in your red blood cells that helps transport oxygen from your lungs to other parts of your body. Iron deficiency causes anemia, which can make you feel weak and tired all the time. Obese individuals, who usually have NAFLD, do not metabolize iron as well as healthy people do.

The researchers found that children with NAFLD had lower physical work capacity compared to those without fatty liver disease. This reduced work capacity was independent of their body mass index. Instead, it was strongly associated with parameters of poor iron absorption. This suggested that iron deficiency likely causes fatigue in people with NAFLD.

Dr. John Olynyk, a professor at Edith Cowan University in Australia and one of the study authors, attributed NAFLD patients’ inability to absorb iron properly to the liver disease itself.

“To use an analogy, if you imagine the body as a car and iron as its fuel, what is likely happening is that there is plenty of iron, or fuel, in the tank, but the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has caused the fuel line to shrink, so there’s not enough fuel can get to the engine,” he explained.

A healthy diet is key to getting rid of fatty liver disease

According to Olynyk, losing weight through exercise and a healthy diet is important for treating NAFLD. He recommends following a Mediterranean diet since it’s proven to be effective at reducing severe cases of the disease.

“This is because it is high in foods like fruits and vegetables and whole grains, which have anti-inflammatory properties,” Olynyk said.

To get yourself to work out more, he says that you need to get enough iron first since iron deficiency can make you lethargic. Eating foods with vitamin C, vitamin A or beta-carotene will help improve iron absorption. Here are good sources of those nutrients:

• Vitamin C: Citrus fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, bell peppers, melons and strawberries
• Vitamin A: Cheese, eggs, fatty fish, milk
• Beta-carotene: Carrots, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, winter squash, cantaloupe

Foods rich in iron include:

• Organ meats
• Chicken
• Veal
• Shellfish such as clams, oysters and mussels
• Fish such as halibut, perch, salmon and tuna
• Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale
• Dried fruits like raisins and apricots
• Beans like lentils and soybeans

Foods that boost liver health

Eat these foods to keep your liver healthy:

• Artichokes – The compounds in artichokes can help keep toxins from entering your liver.
• Beans – Beans are rich in fiber. Studies show that fiber-rich foods can help lower the risk of NAFLD.
• Natural yogurt – Yogurt is packed with probiotics, or live microorganisms that are beneficial to your gut. A healthy gut is linked to improved liver health.
• Coffee – Coffee helps prevent fat buildup in your liver, reduces liver inflammation and increases the levels of antioxidants in your body.
• Berries – Berries are loaded with antioxidant polyphenols, which can protect your liver cells from the damage caused by harmful free radicals.
• Cruciferous vegetables – These veggies help your liver remove toxins from your body. Cruciferous veggies include broccoli, cauliflower, kale, chard, collard greens, bok choy and watercress.
• Fatty fish and nuts – These foods are rich in healthy fats that help reduce inflammation in your liver.

Avoid processed foods, added sugars and alcohol to ward off NAFLD. Processed foods and added sugars cause fat to buildup in your liver while alcohol kills liver cells.

It’s important to keep your liver healthy as it fulfills many important functions, such as removing toxins from your blood and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Eat healthy foods and exercise regularly to protect your liver from diseases and damage.

Sources:

NaturalHealth365.com

MayoClinic.org

CGHJournal.org

MedicalXpress.com

Healthline.com

CookingLight.com