If I have diabetes, is there anything special I need to do to take care of my liver?

Answer From M. Regina Castro, M.D.

It's smart to think about how to protect your liver. Diabetes raises your risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. In this condition, fat builds up in your liver even if you drink little or no alcohol.

At least half of people living with type 2 diabetes have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Experts don't know whether people with type 1 diabetes get the condition more often than do others. The frequency of obesity, which raises the risk of getting type 2 diabetes, is about the same in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Other medical conditions also raise your risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. These conditions include high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Fatty liver disease usually doesn't cause symptoms. But it raises your risk of developing swelling or scarring in the liver, a condition called cirrhosis. It also increases your risk of liver cancer, heart disease and kidney disease.

Fatty liver disease may even play a role in type 2 diabetes. If you have both conditions and your type 2 diabetes isn't managed well, it can make fatty liver disease worse.

The best ways to prevent fatty liver disease include the following:

  • Work with your health care team to manage your blood sugar.
  • Lose weight if you need to, and try to stay at a healthy weight.
  • Take steps to reduce high blood pressure.
  • Keep your "bad" cholesterol — also called low-density lipoprotein (LDL) — and blood fat, called triglycerides, within recommended limits.
  • Don't drink too much alcohol. The recommendation for healthy adults is up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men.

If you have diabetes, your health care provider may recommend an ultrasound examination of your liver when you're first diagnosed. Then your care provider will likely do regular follow-up blood tests to monitor your liver function.

With

M. Regina Castro, M.D.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Sept. 23, 2022 See more Expert Answers

See also

  1. Medication-free hypertension control
  2. A1C test
  3. Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure?
  4. Alpha blockers
  5. Amputation and diabetes
  6. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
  7. Angiotensin II receptor blockers
  8. Anxiety: A cause of high blood pressure?
  9. Artificial sweeteners: Any effect on blood sugar?
  10. Bariatric surgery
  11. Beta blockers
  12. Beta blockers: Do they cause weight gain?
  13. Beta blockers: How do they affect exercise?
  14. Blood glucose meters
  15. Blood glucose monitors
  16. Blood pressure: Can it be higher in one arm?
  17. Blood pressure chart
  18. Blood pressure cuff: Does size matter?
  19. Blood pressure: Does it have a daily pattern?
  20. Blood pressure: Is it affected by cold weather?
  21. Blood pressure medication: Still necessary if I lose weight?
  22. Blood pressure medications: Can they raise my triglycerides?
  23. Blood pressure readings: Why higher at home?
  24. Blood pressure tip: Get more potassium
  25. Blood sugar levels can fluctuate for many reasons
  26. Blood sugar testing: Why, when and how
  27. Bone and joint problems associated with diabetes
  28. Pancreas transplant animation
  29. Caffeine and hypertension
  30. Calcium channel blockers
  31. Calcium supplements: Do they interfere with blood pressure drugs?
  32. Can whole-grain foods lower blood pressure?
  33. Central-acting agents
  34. Choosing blood pressure medicines
  35. COVID-19: Who's at higher risk of serious symptoms?
  36. Diabetes
  37. Diabetes and depression: Coping with the two conditions
  38. Diabetes and exercise: When to monitor your blood sugar
  39. Diabetes and heat
  40. 10 ways to avoid diabetes complications
  41. Diabetes diet: Should I avoid sweet fruits?
  42. Diabetes diet: Create your healthy-eating plan
  43. Diabetes foods: Can I substitute honey for sugar?
  44. Diabetes management: How lifestyle, daily routine affect blood sugar
  45. Diabetes symptoms
  46. Diabetes treatment: Can cinnamon lower blood sugar?
  47. Using insulin
  48. Diabetic Gastroparesis
  49. Diuretics
  50. Diuretics: A cause of low potassium?
  51. Erectile dysfunction and diabetes
  52. High blood pressure and exercise
  53. Exercise and chronic disease
  54. Fatigue
  55. Free blood pressure machines: Are they accurate?
  56. Frequent urination
  57. Home blood pressure monitoring
  58. Glucose tolerance test
  59. Glycemic index: A helpful tool for diabetes?
  60. Hemochromatosis
  61. High blood pressure (hypertension)
  62. High blood pressure and cold remedies: Which are safe?
  63. High blood pressure and sex
  64. High blood pressure dangers
  65. What is hypertension? A Mayo Clinic expert explains.
  66. Hypertension FAQs
  67. Hypertensive crisis: What are the symptoms?
  68. Insulin and weight gain
  69. Isolated systolic hypertension: A health concern?
  70. Kidney disease FAQs
  71. L-arginine: Does it lower blood pressure?
  72. Late-night eating: OK if you have diabetes?
  73. Low-phosphorus diet: Helpful for kidney disease?
  74. Medications and supplements that can raise your blood pressure
  75. Menopause and high blood pressure: What's the connection?
  76. Infographic: Pancreas Kidney Transplant
  77. Pancreas transplant
  78. Picnic Problems: High Sodium
  79. Pulse pressure: An indicator of heart health?
  80. Reactive hypoglycemia: What can I do?
  81. Resperate: Can it help reduce blood pressure?
  82. Sleep deprivation: A cause of high blood pressure?
  83. Statins
  84. Stress and high blood pressure
  85. The dawn phenomenon: What can you do?
  86. Unexplained weight loss
  87. Vasodilators
  88. Vegetarian diet: Can it help me control my diabetes?
  89. How to measure blood pressure using a manual monitor
  90. How to measure blood pressure using an automatic monitor
  91. What is blood pressure?
  92. Can a lack of vitamin D cause high blood pressure?
  93. Weight Loss Surgery Options
  94. White coat hypertension
  95. Wrist blood pressure monitors: Are they accurate?