What Is MASLD? (original) (raw)

How is metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease treated?

Treatment for MASLD usually starts with weight loss. Your healthcare provider will also treat conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which cause MASLD.

Losing weight makes a difference in your liver health. Reducing excess fat in your liver helps with inflammation that leads to cirrhosis. Your provider may recommend meal plans like the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet.

Doing moderate activity 30 minutes a day for three days a week supports weight loss. Your provider may recommend you lose 10% or more of your body weight. But even losing 3% to 5% of your weight can make a difference.

Weight loss medication

Your healthcare provider may recommend weight loss medications like GLP-1 agonists if you have diabetes and/or obesity. These medications help lower your blood sugar and help you lose weight. Weight loss medications may include:

Bariatric surgery

Your provider may discuss bariatric surgery with you. Bariatric surgery to support weight loss may reverse MASLD that’s diagnosed before you develop cirrhosis.

Can you reverse MASLD?

Yes, but that depends on your situation. In general, treatment can reverse MASLD unless you have MASH-related cirrhosis.

Receiving a diagnosis early on can help keep MASLD from doing a lot of damage to your liver. Taking steps, like losing weight, may reverse the impact MASLD has on your liver. But your situation depends on your overall health. Ask your healthcare provider whether losing weight can reverse this condition.