Weight Loss and Wellness

If you’ve been told that you have a ‘fatty liver’, you will really be interested in a study published in the September, 2007 issue of the journal Obesity. Researchers gave two groups of rats an equal number of carbs and found that after 25 weeks, the average weight in both groups was the same. But the rats in one of the groups had more body fat and fat in the blood and surrounding the liver than the rats in the other group.

What was the difference between the two groups? The one which ended up with fatty livers was on a high glycemic index diet. They ate more simple carbohydrates like those found in potatoes and white bread. The group which ate foods that contained complex carbohydrates - such as lentils, yogurt, high fiber grains and soybeans ended up with healthy livers and a lower body fat percentage.

So what can we learn from this study? Simple carbohydrates can not only cause an increase in body fat, they can also cause fatty liver disease. So it is best to limit foods such as pastas, white bread, white rice, potatoes, soda and sweets. Replace them with foods which are whole grain and contain a lot of complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, non-starchy vegetables (think brightly colored) and whole grain bread. They are digested more slowly, keeping you full longer. 

A low glycemic diet may help to keep you and your liver from getting fat and may help you to lose weight and fix a fatty liver. The same researchers are now doing a study on humans to prove this hypothesis.