Months of dedicated yoga practice or walking cannot reverse fatty liver disease, hepatologist Dr Cyriac Abby Philips revealed. According to the top hepatologist, the condition, a growing health concern that affects millions of people across the globe, affects his patients, who include repeated Surya Namaskars in their daily routine, which also includes more than an hour of walking, who get disappointed when they are not able to do so.

“Walking is not exercise. It is a non-exercise thermogenic activity. Classical yoga is not an exercise. It is not aerobic,” Dr Philips wrote on the social media site X.

Fatty liver is among the most common types is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, formerly known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Linked to poor diet, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle, this condition can lead to liver inflammation, scarring, and even cirrhosis if left untreated.

Without treatment, a steatotic liver can progress to cirrhosis of the liver, which can cause liver failure, liver cancer, and cancers outside of your liver. People with MASLD are also at increased risk of heart disease. Doctors say heart disease, not liver disease, is the leading cause of death in people with MASLD. Your liver is the largest organ in the body, which helps the body to digest food, store energy, and remove toxins. Fatty liver disease is a condition where excess fat accumulates in the liver, impairing its function in the long term.

According to the Kochi-based liver specialist, to reverse fatty liver, you must indulge in full-body aerobic training and lift weights at least three times a week. These exercises include walking, running, jumping, dancing, and using weights or resistance bands to perform exercises like squats, lunges, and push-ups.

“Yoga helps with balance and reduces muscle injury and soreness when used before and after workouts,” he added.

Most people, when they work out, jump right into cardio. According to experts, even though cardio is beneficial in weight loss, building muscles is even more important. Weight-bearing exercises must be prioritised over cardio, as increasing muscle mass is one of the best ways to prevent and improve fatty liver.

According to experts, fatty liver does not always cause symptoms, but when they do, the signs include:

• Severe abdominal pain or a feeling of fullness in the upper right side of your abdomen
• Extreme exhaustion or weakness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight loss
• Yellowish skin and whites of the eyes, or jaundice
• Swelling in your abdomen
• Swelling in your legs, feet, or hands
• Bleeding from your esophagus, stomach, or rectum

What causes fatty liver?

Fatty liver has various causes; however, you are more likely to develop it if you have a cardiometabolic risk factor.

If you have alcohol use disorder

If you have metabolic syndrome – insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglyceride levels

If you have type 2 diabetes

If you are overweight

If you have obesity

If you have polycystic ovary syndrome

If you have obstructive sleep apnea

If you have hypogonadism or a condition with low sex hormones

If you take prescription medications, it can lead to fat buildup in your liver