Rethinking Food and Exercise

LIFESTYLE CHOICES CAN REVERSE

NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER

DISEASE NATURALLY

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has quietly reached epidemic levels, afflicting roughly 25% of the worldwide population. Commonly affecting overweight children, adolescents as well as young and older adults, NAFLD is characterized by excessive accumulation of fat in the liver. If left unchecked, advanced forms of the disease can lead to liver damage and related adverse health effects such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

A pioneering study led by Prof. Shira Zelber-Sagi of the School of Public Health with researchers at Tel Aviv Medical Center found that NAFLD is a preventable disease. “According to our findings, a healthy lifestyle can reverse the disease,” explains Zelber-Sagi. “Even a 5% weight reduction has shown positive liver fat reduction as measured in ultrasound examinations and liver biopsies. Our recommended health guidelines for the management of NAFLD recently published by ATID – The Israeli Dietitians Association for the Advancement of Healthy Nutrition– suggest lifestyle changes that include regular physical activity of up to two and a half hours a week, and a Mediterranean-style diet.” The Mediterranean diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fish, mono-unsaturated fats found in olive oil, and only small amounts of red meat.

NAFLD is also a growing public health concern in Israel. “There are usually no symptoms, so most people don’t even know that they have the disease,” notes Zelber-Sagi. Physical inactivity and a diet rich in saturated fats and added sugars are the primary causes of NAFLD.

Although Prof. Zelber-Sagi maintains that government policies play an important role in nutrition and health promotion, she fears it will not be enough to ensure the health of the next generation without education and support services. To this end, she is spearheading a multidisciplinary digital platform that will combine expertise in nutrition, behavioral economics and artificial intelligence. Working with Prof. Mor Peleg from the Department of Information Systems and Prof. Doron Kliger of the Economics Department, the mobile application is designed to both educate and motivate young people to make smart food choices and take responsibility of their general health.

“We need to start thinking differently about nutrition and fitness,” adds Zelber-Sagi. “Instead of counting calories, we should focus on the ingredients going into the foods we eat. Cutting back on heavily processed foods and sweetened beverages, as well as staying active are key to a healthy liver.”