Diseases & Conditions
The skinny on fatty liver
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common liver disease. Here is what you should know about it.
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
Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
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