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The skinny on fatty liver

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common liver disease. Here is what you should know about it.

By , Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch

photo illustration using medical imaging showing a human liver, the left half is healthy and is tinted blue while the right half shows fatty liver disease and is tinted red

The liver is your body’s largest internal organ. About the size of a football and weighing around 3 pounds, the liver performs more than 500 functions. Some of its daily tasks include producing cholesterol, creating bile to help digest fats, and filtering deadly toxins from the blood. (Also, the liver holds about a pint of your body’s blood supply at any given moment.)

Despite its prowess, the liver is not invulnerable to illness. One of its greatest threats is nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disease worldwide.

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About the Author

photo of Matthew Solan

Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch

Matthew Solan is the executive editor of Harvard Men’s Health Watch. He previously served as executive editor for UCLA Health’s Healthy Years and as a contributor to Duke Medicine’s Health News and Weill Cornell Medical College’s … See Full Bio
View all posts by Matthew Solan

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