2. Starting the Day With a Highly Processed, Sugary Diet
The second habit is less dramatic but extremely common.
Some people begin the day with foods and drinks that are high in added sugar, refined carbohydrates, saturated fat, and calories, such as sugary coffee drinks, pastries, sweetened cereals, processed meats, and other heavily processed breakfast foods.
Eating one doughnut or drinking one sweetened coffee does not damage your liver.
The concern is the long-term dietary pattern.
Consistently consuming more calories than your body needs can contribute to weight gain. Excess body fat, particularly around the abdomen, is strongly associated with metabolic dysfunction and an increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
MASLD occurs when excess fat accumulates in the liver in association with metabolic risk factors.
It is increasingly common and can range from relatively mild fat accumulation to inflammation and liver fibrosis. In some people, progressive liver damage can eventually lead to cirrhosis.
