A problem shared by mother-of-four and GP Clare Bailey: Can I stop my sweet tooth ruining my health at 60?
- An anonymous person is worried about extra weight caused by a sweet tooth
- The person, 60, was shocked to discover they showed signs of fatty liver disease
- They asked GP Clare Bailey if there was anything they could do to reverse this
Q I’ve always carried a bit of extra weight, mainly around the tummy. I have a sweet tooth and am not a fan of exercise. But, having just turned 60, I was shocked to be told I show early signs of fatty liver disease. What can I do?
A You are right to be concerned. A fatty liver can lead to liver damage and is linked to metabolic diseases like raised blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. But the good news is you can do something about it.
An anonymous person aged 60 is worried about extra weight caused by a sweet tooth. She asks Clare Bailey for advice regarding fatty liver damage
Ideally, your waist measurement should be less than half your height — so a doubled piece of string of your height should go around your waist with the ends meeting. If not, this suggests you are likely storing excess fat in and around the abdominal organs.
Of course there are more accurate ways of measuring central body fat, such as an ultrasound or dexa scan (a form of X-ray), as well as blood tests for liver enzymes.
After all, the larger your waist, the higher your chance of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Clare Bailey (pictured) told the reader that a low-card Mediterranean diet with intermittent fasting can reverse fatty liver and type 2 diabetes
Professor Roy Taylor of Newcastle University has shown that a rapid weight-loss diet of 800 calories a day swiftly improved matters for volunteers with fatty livers and raised blood sugars; within weeks, scans showed dramatic reductions in liver fat stores. My husband, Michael Mosley, followed a low-carb Mediterranean diet with intermittent fasting, shed nearly 20lb, and reversed both his fatty liver and type 2 diabetes. He called it the 5:2 diet and has remained well since.
Swedish researchers have compared the 5:2 diet and a low-carb, high-fat diet, with a standard diet for people with fatty livers. Those following the 5:2 diet lost an average of 16lb (7.4kg), three times as much as those on a standard lifestyle, but there was a bigger fall in their levels of liver fat.
The dropout rate was lowest in the 5:2 group, suggesting it was the easiest to stick to and lowered cholesterol levels too.
- To check your liver risk see britishlivertrust.org.uk/atrisk-screener/
Considered the hardest working royal, Princess Anne appears to have boundless energy. And now her daughter Zara has revealed her secret — she keeps a kiwi in her handbag to give her a boost when needed. It’s not a bad choice as it’s said to be one of the most nutritious fruits available, though sticky to peel. I prefer to carry a trusty apple — more robust and harder to squash them.
Princess Ann’s daughter Zara has revealed that she carries a kiwi in her handbag to give her a boost when needed
- Visiting Pompeii, I discovered fast food was already popular 2,000 years ago — just before Vesuvius buried the city. The Romans cooked chickpeas, grains, veggies, some meat and fish, simmering it on fires along the narrow lanes, ready to dish out to customers, and eaten with fresh wholemeal bread. Even in Roman times fast food could get bad reviews. One shop, recently unearthed, has graffiti saying something along the lines of ‘this food is s**t’. Remarkable how little changes.
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