One of the most common causes of fatty liver is alcoholism. In an alcoholic fatty liver, over consumption of alcohol changes the way that the liver breaks down and stores fats.
Malnutrition is often common in people with chronic alcoholism because they tend to eat irregularly and do not consume a well-balanced diet. Conditions that can also cause fatty liver are other forms of malnutrition (especially when there is not enough protein in the diet), obesity, diabetes mellitus, and Reye’s syndrome in children. Pregnancy can cause a rare, but serious form of fatty liver that starts late in pregnancy and may be associated with jaundice and liver failure. Some drug overdoses or toxic chemical poisonings, such as carbon tetrachloride, can also cause fatty liver.
It also appears that people with metabolic syndrome, a condition that can include high blood pressure, high cholesterol or blood fat levels, obesity, or an inability to regulate sugar (insulin resistance), are more likely to develop some form of NAFLD. However, people without metabolic syndrome or any of its risk factors can also develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Taking certain medications such as corticosteroids, anti-retrovirals, and immune suppressing medication for rheumatoid arthritis may also increase the chance of developing NAFLD.
Several risk factors increase the likelihood of a person developing NAFLD. Some of these include:
- diabetes
- excess weight and obesity
- high levels of fat in the blood (also known as hyperlipidemia)
- abdominal surgery