For years, studies have shown that eating a diet that includes a lot of red and processed meat can be bad for your health.
Researchers have been able to link high red/processed meat consumption to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
Now, recent research by Israeli medical scientists, have found that another disease can be added to that list – non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD.
A liver with large deposits of fat (Goysaowaluck/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported via Wikimedia Commons)
The researcher’s findings are documented in a new study published in the Journal of Hepatology.
According to the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NAFLD is a condition in which excess fat is stored in your liver. This buildup of fat is not caused by heavy alcohol use.
There are two types of NAFLD – the most commonly diagnosed type is called simple fatty liver which doesn’t typically progress to cause liver damage or complications.
However, research is finding that the disease can be an early predictor of and/or a cause for the development of type 2 diabetes.
The other more advanced form of NAFLD is called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH. This condition causes the liver to become inflamed and damage liver cells.
NASH can cause fibrosis or a scarring of the liver. This condition could also lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.
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