What are the best options for treating obesity to manage MASLD?
Welcome to this module on effective communication strategies for discussing Metabolic Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) with your patients. As a common but often misunderstood condition, MASLD requires clear and compassionate conversations to ensure patient understanding, adherence to lifestyle changes, and management strategies.
- Pre Questionnaire
- Video
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- Kirsi Pietiläinen, Professor in Clinical Metabolism
- MASLD
- Video views: 30
I'm professor Kirsi Pietiläinen, a medical doctor and obesity researcher in Finland. In the next five minutes, I'm excited to share some crucial insights about the relationship between obesity and liver health and the most effective strategies for managing this condition. Did you know that some people with obesity are more prone to collecting fat in their liver? This condition, often influenced by genetics, can also be impacted by lifestyle factors like diet and physical activity.
Foods that are high in sugar, like pastries and high-fat fried foods, can take a toll on liver. Reducing the intake of saturated fats and simple carbohydrates by opting for whole grains, fresh fruit, colorful vegetables and lean proteins can support the liver and overall health. The liver also loves the vitamin-rich ingredients in food.
Exercise is another key player. Regular physical activity helps reduce liver fat and improves liver function. Whether it's daily walk, gym session or yoga, all movement is good to keep your liver in shape.
But that's not all. For those living with obesity, medications and bariatric surgery are highly effective options to consider. Obesity management medications can help reduce appetite and increase fullness, aiding weight loss and decreasing liver fat.
Bariatric surgery, such as gastric bypass, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic health, leading to a sustained reduction in liver fat. Why is this important? Liver fat is linked to conditions like prediabetes, diabetes and high cholesterol. Managing obesity effectively can help keep these risks at bay, ensuring better overall health.
The good news? A very small weight loss, even less than 5% of the initial body weight, is already making a large impact on liver fat. Most likely, healthy lifestyle habits also beneficially affect the liver even without any weight loss. And it's never too late to start.
Combine healthy eating, regular exercise and consult your healthcare professionals about medications and surgical options. Your liver will thank you. I'm Professor Kirsi Pietiläinen for 5 Minute TPD.
Thanks for watching. Be sure to check out additional resources on this page and more learning at easo.org.
Full article EASL-EASD-EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD):
Patient Resources
ELPA’s aim is to promote the interests of people with liver disease and in particular: to highlight the size of the problem; to promote awareness and prevention; to address the low profile of liver disease as compared to other areas of medicine such as heart disease; to share experience of successful initiatives; to work with professional bodies such as EASL and with the EU to ensure that treatment and care are harmonised across Europe to the highest standards.
- Fatty Liver Alliance
Understanding the Journey: Introduction to MASLD & MASH: Video Series for Patients from the Fatty Liver Alliance: https://fattyliver.ca/blog/f/understanding-the-journey-introduction-to-masld-mash
- Cleveland Clinic Patient Resource
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EASO has received funding to support components of the 5-MIN CPD programme via an unrestricted grant from Boehringer-Ingelheim. Boehringer-Ingelheim had no influence over the content of any of the modules.