By Lee I-chia
The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday urged people to avoid excessive eating during the Lunar New Year holiday, given the high prevalence of fatty liver disease in Taiwan.
With many people attending year-end banquets and dinners with friends and family, they should strive to avoid consuming too many calories, make sure they eat enough fruits and vegetables, and exercise during the holiday break, HPA Cancer Prevention and Control Division Director Lin Li-ju (林莉茹) said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
She said that the buildup of excessive fats in the liver can cause chronic inflammation and cell damage to the organ, and can lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis or cancer.
A 2019 study showed that the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Taiwan was about 33.3 percent, the HPA said.
Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the nation, and 10,982 people were diagnosed with it in 2020, which is lower than the year before, it said, referencing Taiwan cancer registry data for 2020.
Ministry of Health and Welfare data from 2021 showed that 4,065 people died of chronic liver disease or cirrhosis, making the illnesses the 10th-leading cause of death in Taiwan, while 7,970 people died of liver cancer, the second-leading cause of death, the HPA said.
About 80 percent of liver cancer cases were caused by hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections, while about 20 percent were caused by fatty liver disease, it said.
There are no medicines to treat fatty liver disease, so the best method to combat it is a healthy lifestyle, with a good diet and exercise to maintain a healthy body weight, Lin said.
People should calculate their body mass index, eat smart, exercise regularly, weigh themselves daily and regularly measure their waist, she said.
People should prepare Lunar New Year dishes low in fat, salt and sugar, and high in fiber, to reduce the accumulation of fat in the body and prevent the development of fatty liver disease, she added.
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