Rise of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among kids a concern

Jamshedpur/Ranchi: Ever wonder why non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is on the rise not only among adults but also children? Blame it on too much of "screen addiction" and gorging of junk food, say doctors on the eve of World Liver Day, observed on April 19.Talking to TOI on Friday, Dr Shohini Bhaduri said, "It has been observed that children have lost interest in playing on the ground. They would rather remain glued to mobile screens during their free time. This screen addiction is having a great toll on a child's health."She further said, "As kids are not sweating it out physically at playgrounds in their school or near their houses, obesity has become a common problem. Out of every 10 kids in Jamshedpur, six are obese, giving rise to a lot of health issues right from childhood, including cholesterol, diabetes and NAFLD."On her experience of encountering such cases, Dr Bhaduri said, "Till five years ago, out of the 150 patients coming to my OPD here daily, NAFLD cases in kids were 10 or below, which is now 40 plus. It points to the dangerous impact of a sedentary lifestyle."Highlighting the ill impacts of such a lifestyle, she also said, "Due to the addiction to screens, they stay up late. During this period, they develop a habit of munching on junk food, like packaged chips. Junk foods are mostly fried in cheap palm oil and are mostly unhealthy. Apart from leading to abnormal body mass index (BMI), eating such foods leads to obesity and other health issues." She also warned, "Parents play a key role in getting their kids off the devices. They should allow the children to go out and play outside. Instead of giving company to their kids, they readily hand over their mobile phones so that they can enjoy the so-called ‘me time'. Very few parents now have the habit of storytelling or playing outdoor or indoor games with their kids."Dr Bhaduri added, "A study shows that obesity among kids globally was 16.3% during the 2001-2005 period and it has increased to 19.3% after 2010."Another physician, Dr Mahesh Verma, said, "If NAFLD is detected early among kids, it can be reversed by focusing on healthy eating habits and concentrating on physical exercise to reduce obesity. All efforts need to be taken to ensure that NAFLD does not progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer. Those who have a family history of fatty liver must be extra careful of their kids from an early age as there are great chances of genetic transfer of the disease from one generation to another." Dr Verma also said, "A study in 2019 shows one out of 10 kids are affected globally with NAFLD. The alarming part is now children from rural backgrounds, who were earlier considered more physically active than kids from urban areas, now are under the grip of NAFLD as globalisation has made junk food available in villages, too."He added, "Street foods are mostly cooked in reused oil and should be banned. They can easily trigger serious liver ailments and cancer if consumed regularly."Notably, doctors from Jamshedpur under the banner of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had written to chief minister Hemant Soren to take necessary steps to ban street food, which is prepared in extremely unhygienic conditions.In a concerning development, NAFLD has emerged as a serious condition in Ranchi, surpassing alcohol-related liver ailments. This shift is primarily attributed to modern lifestyle factors, including sedentary behaviour, poor dietary habits, obesity, and increasing diabetes cases. Experts caution that NAFLD's asymptomatic nature in its early stages makes it potentially more hazardous than alcohol-induced liver damage.