10. Obesity and Fatty Liver: Kang Er Shou's Liver Protection and Rehabilitation Effects

10. Obesity and Fatty Liver

The liver is a vital digestive organ, crucial for the digestion, absorption, oxidation, breakdown, transformation, and detoxification of lipids, converting glucose or fat into energy, and performing essential metabolic functions. Under normal circumstances, the liver contains approximately 4% to 7% fat by weight, half of which consists of neutral fats and triglycerides, with the remainder being lecithin and small amounts of cholesterol. When the fat content exceeds 10% of the liver's weight, it is considered fatty liver; 10% to 25% is moderate fatty liver; and 25% to 50% is severe fatty liver.

Fatty liver can be caused by liver-related issues, specifically abnormal lipid metabolism in the liver. In some cases, fatty liver is a result of obesity caused by other diseases, which affects lipid metabolism.

Mild fatty liver often presents with no clinical symptoms. Some patients only experience fatigue, making it easy to overlook. Moderate to severe fatty liver presents with symptoms similar to chronic hepatitis, such as upper abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and abdominal distension, and may include hepatomegaly. If fat accumulation in hepatocytes compresses the hepatic sinusoids or bile capillaries, portal venous blood flow and bile excretion are obstructed, leading to portal hypertension and cholestasis. Severe fatty liver during pregnancy can present with acute or subacute hepatic necrosis and may also develop into liver cancer or cirrhosis.

Fatty liver is caused by excessive intake of fat, sugar, and alcohol. The breakdown products of these substances are neutralized in the liver to form triglycerides. Because fat is insoluble in water (blood), it directly binds to proteins to form lipoproteins, which are then transported into the bloodstream by the liver. However, when there is too much triglyceride, the rate of protein production cannot keep up. Therefore, the fat that cannot enter the bloodstream accumulates in the liver, leading to fatty liver.

The Ministry of Health, in its document No. 020 (1997), stated that "Kang Er Shou slimming tea is suitable for obese individuals, those with high blood lipids, and those with fatty liver." Among the health foods approved by the Ministry of Health, only Kang Er Shou possesses this function. This is not only because, during animal experiments conducted by West China Medical University, liver slices from animals that drank Kang Er Shou slimming tea were found to be completely normal, while liver slices from the control group showed severe fatty liver. This research achievement of West China Medical University has been included in the 21st Century Medical Papers by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Furthermore, the goji berries in Kang Er Shou slimming tea have a strong anti-fatty liver effect. Sea buckthorn also has a good protective effect on the liver. Famous scientist Mr. Wang, famous singer Yin Xiangjie, and famous comedian Li Jindou not only lost weight using Kang Er Shou, but also cured their fatty liver.