Top 3 Treatments for NASH

#1

Weight Loss

Weight loss is one of the most effective and evidence-backed treatments for NASH. NASH is fundamentally a metabolic condition. The same factors that drive weight gain and diabetes also drive NASH. By losing significant weight, patients can improve one of the causes of NASH.

Reference: Hepatology

"In conclusion, an intensive lifestyle intervention program can successfully produce a 7-10% weight reduction in patients with NASH. This degree of weight reduction can lead to significant improvements in liver chemistry and histologic activity of NASH. Given the additional benefit of weight loss on cardiovascular risk factors, lifestyle intervention with the goal of at least 7% weight reduction represents an attractive therapy for this increasingly common disease."

#2

Vitamin E

Fatigue is one of the few known symptoms of NASH. However, it is unspecific to NASH. Some patients with NASH may report fatigue, but just having fatigue is not enough to indicate NASH. Many other common conditions can cause fatigue.

Reference: NEJM

"Vitamin E therapy, as compared with placebo, was associated with a significantly higher rate of improvement in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (43% vs. 19%, P=0.001) ... Vitamin E was superior to placebo for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in adults without diabetes."

#3

Low Carbohydrate Diets

Low carb diets have been shown to be helpful in slowing the progression of fatty liver disease. While the studies are still small, the use of low-carb diets to treat fatty liver disease is consistent with our understanding of NASH as a weight-driven disease. There still needs to be more research in comparing low-carb diets to other types of weight loss regimens.

Reference: Diabetes Journal

"Our findings suggest that LCD may be as effective as CRD in improving fatty liver in Japanese patients of NAFLD with T2DM, and that LCD may be less burdensome on patients than CRD."

More Information on NASH:

NASH

Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

TL;DRThe Basics

NASH is a condition caused by the presence of fat in the liver. It is a subset of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Over time, the fat in the liver can lead to liver inflammation, the end stage of which we call NASH.