Researchers are warning of a serious health crisis that is striking extra hard in the Hispanic community. That crisis, brought on by both heredity and diet is linked to obesity which continues to rise in that ethnic group. Fatty liver disease, a chronic, potentially fatal disease has been seen in alarming numbers, even among the Hispanic youth. More than a quarter of children and adults in that demographic group have been diagnosed with fatty liver disease with some communities seeing levels that are reaching thirty five percent.

Obesity is usually an impetus to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which can lead to more serious issues including scarring of the liver and cirrhosis. This condition also increases the risk of developing conditions like Type II diabetes, certain types of cancer, liver failure and eventually death. In Los Angeles County, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the fourth leading cause of death among Hispanic males.

Doctors are finding that Hispanic children and young adults have elevated levels of fat both in and around the liver, especially if they are obese. That fat causes the liver to struggle to do its job in the body, namely removing toxins from the system. Eventually, the fat accumulates to such a point that the liver just shuts down. At that point, the disease becomes life threatening with thousands dying from fatty livers every year.

According to the USC Childhood Obesity Research Center, nearly forty percent of Hispanic children, teens and young adults who are listed as obese also have significant levels of fat in their livers, often enough to qualify them as having advanced fatty liver disease. Researchers are under the belief that the Hispanic population may be at a significantly higher risk of developing the disease with nearly half of the population potentially having a gene that would predispose them to it. In contrast, the risk for that gene in Caucasians is less than twenty five percent and even lower for African Americans.

Both researchers and doctors agree that education and prevention in the Hispanic community need to be increased to prevent an even higher level of this condition. Because of the genetic predisposition toward fatty liver disease, maintaining a healthy weight becomes even more important. But, that may not be enough because weight is only one part of the equation. A healthy diet is also necessary to prevent the excess levels of fat from building up in the blood stream.