Why It Helps, How To Bring It To Life

Inflammation is not great for your liver health, especially if you have been diagnosed with a fatty liver.

The Reasons Why?

Inflammation contributes to and worsens insulin resistance, making it easier for more and more fat to be stored in your liver over time.

If left unmanaged, excessive inflammation is also what causes a low-grade diagnosis of fatty liver to end up as something more severe in the future.

This occurs because inflammation contributes to scar tissue formation within the liver, a process known as “fibrosis,” which leads to impaired blood flow to the liver and further damage over time.

Not good.

Better News Ahead

A grim start, I know, but the good news in this equation is that acting promptly on a fatty liver diagnosis means you will likely never have to worry about many of these complications.

Strategic dietary shifts can play a big role in reducing inflammatory markers and improving multiple aspects of liver health. 

That’s where today’s post, guided by the Dietary Inflammatory Index [DII], comes in.

A growing body of evidence suggests that those who consume a more anti-inflammatory diet [as measured by the DII] have a lower risk of developing a fatty liver and a lower risk of developing fibrosis if they already have one.

An Intro To The DII

The Dietary Inflammatory Index [DII] is essentially an evidence-based scoring system that evaluates dietary components for their potential to lower inflammatory markers.

Those markers include CRP, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α – some of which you may have had checked in your previous bloodwork. 

The DII's dietary components are wide-ranging and include vitamins, minerals, phytochemical compounds, and even specific herbs/spices.

The criteria for inclusion within the DII is sufficient evidence available for researchers to make meaningful estimations about the actual anti-inflammatory potential of a given dietary component.

The quality and quantity of evidence play an important role in how items within the DII are scored.

This means that a large amount of human evidence showing the anti-inflammatory potential of a specific component is going to be valued much more than a small amount of mixed human and animal evidence.

Bringing It To Life In Your Kitchen

Now that we appreciate why it matters and how it works, it’s time to introduce you to the dietary components that rank as “most anti-inflammatory” on the Dietary Inflammatory Index.

If you want to start eating a diet that is scientifically considered to be more anti-inflammatory, the foods below are an exceptional starting point.

#1 Beta-Carotene

It is found in the largest quantities in baked sweet potato, carrots, kale, spinach, and butternut squash.

#2 Flavones

Flavones are one of six members of the flavonoid family of compounds, and they are increasingly recognized for their unique health benefits.

Flavones are found in the richest supply in foods like artichoke, green bell peppers, and celery, as well as in very high amounts of dried parsley and oregano.

Independent of their high DII rating, flavones have been previously identified in observational research as being associated with lower levels of liver steatosis [fat] and fibrosis [scarring].

#3 Others Herbs/Spices

Regular use of herbs and spices in home cooking is a massively underrated step for those looking to improve the anti-inflammatory capacity of their diet.

In a 2022 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, as little as 3.25 grams per day of mixed herb/spice use was enough to measurably lower inflammatory markers.

While ginger, saffron, thyme, pepper, and turmeric all rank highly on the DII, most herbs and spices have the potential to help.

#4 Isoflavones

Isoflavones are found in meaningful quantities in foods like tofu, tempeh, edamame, and soy milk.

These foods may be of particular interest to menopausal women and people with high cholesterol levels as the more regular inclusion of foods in this family has been demonstrated to be useful for both demographics.

#5 Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids—particularly EPA/DHA — are essential for good liver health. They are found only in fatty fish like salmon, sardines, trout, and mackerel.

You can learn more about how to navigate the world of omega-3s for fatty liver disease in my previous Foodguides.com piece on the topic.

Ground flax, chia, and hemp seeds – as well as walnuts – are also heavy hitters in the omega-3 world, albeit providing a different type of omega-3 than fish (ALA). 

#6 Magnesium & Fiber 

Legumes (think lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc.) are the one family of foods that contains the single largest combined amount of magnesium and fiber.

Perhaps it's no surprise that human evidence demonstrates that eating as little as ¼ cups of lentils per day is enough to measurably reduce insulin resistance in liver cells.

#7 Green & Black Tea

Multiple observational studies have demonstrated that coffee at around ~3 cups per day is protective against the progression of fatty liver disease.

Not everyone loves coffee or the caffeine it contains, though. That's where green and black tea comes in.

As incredibly high sources of both polyphenols and flavonoids, these beverages are highly anti-inflammatory and have been demonstrated to enhance the effectiveness of dietary strategies geared toward reversing fatty liver disease.

Final Thoughts

If you have a fatty liver or have been explicitly informed by a healthcare provider that your inflammatory markers are currently putting your health at risk, take today’s guidance to heart.

You won’t love every food I discussed, nor do they need to be the ONLY foods you ever eat, but the ultimate goal is to fully appreciate the potential of these dietary components and use that to fuel you so that they can play the biggest role possible in your routine.

If you do so, you’ll almost certainly be able to meaningfully reduce the level of inflammation in your body and, in doing so, improve your long-term liver, brain, and metabolic health.

Hope this helped!

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