WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- According to a new research , consumption of fast food is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a potentially life-threatening condition in which fat builds up in the liver.
University of Southern California researchers found that people with obesity or diabetes who consume 20% or more of their daily calories from fast food have severely elevated levels of fat in their liver compared to those who consume less or no fast food. They said
the study indicated the negative impact of fast food on liver health.
The researchers also discovered that a relatively modest amount of fast food, which is high in carbohydrates and fat, can hurt the liver. They reported that if people ate one meal a day at a fast-food restaurant, and that one meal equalled at least one-fifth of their daily calories, they were putting their livers at risk.
They evaluated the fatty liver measurement of approximately 4,000 adults whose fatty liver measurements were included in the survey and compared these measurements to their fast-food consumption.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, also known as liver steatosis, can lead to cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver, which can cause liver cancer or failure. Liver steatosis affects over 30% of the U.S. population.