Fatty liver and diabetes – the connections

Dr. med. Michaela Neagu FMH Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine GGP Bern

In a lecture by the gastroenterological group practice GGP Bern AG (a company of Helvetius Holding AG), the gastroenterologist Dr. med. Michaela Neagu illustrates the connections between fatty liver and diabetes. Following the lecture, it becomes clear that fatty liver and diabetes form a vicious circle in which both diseases trigger and drive each other. In addition to diagnostics and the effects on overall health, the lecture also opens up a clear picture of how the course of the disease can be successfully influenced and, in the best case, reversed. We have made the lecture by Dr Michaela Neagu available in text form, but also as a video lecture and as a PowerPoint presentation. You can find out more here.

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Fatty liver disease and diabetes mellitus – are there correlations?

The experts at Helvetius Holding AG clarify

In a lecture by GGP Bern AG, Dr. med. Michaela Neagu presented the connections between fatty liver disease and diabetes mellitus. This is less about medical jargon and more about educating people about what a fatty liver is, what it means for people’s lives and whether there is a connection to diabetes mellitus.

Dr Michaela Neagu is a specialist in gastroenterology (gastrointestinal diseases) and general internal medicine in the Gastroenterology Group Practice Bern, a partner of Helvetius Holding AG, and has extensive experience and expertise in her specialist field.

In her lecture, Michaela Neagu, MD, highlights the clear connections between fatty liver and diabetes mellitus.

The fatty liver disease

Basically, a distinction is made between alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic (metabolic) fatty liver disease. As the different names suggest, one form of fatty liver disease is related to excessive alcohol consumption, the other has nothing to do with alcohol consumption. In addition, there are manifestations such as viral liver diseases, autoimmune diseases, iron storage disorders and other conditions that promote fatty liver disease or make it possible in the first place.

Worldwide, about 25 percent of the population is affected by fatty liver disease. This makes fatty liver the most common liver disease of all. Among diabetics themselves, about 30 to 40 percent have a fatty liver. Also, about half of patients with severe dyslipidemia suffer from fatty liver disease.

How does a fatty liver develop?

A fatty liver occurs when the capacity of the liver cells to absorb fat is exceeded. This causes fat to be deposited in the liver itself, which can no longer be broken down by the liver. The accumulation of fat in the liver cells causes these cells to become inflamed and then send out messenger substances that inhibit the supply of insulin to the liver. Eventually, a kind of insulin resistance develops, so that insulin cannot work in the body as nature intended.

As a result, hyperglycaemia occurs in the body. This sends out a stimulus that causes even more insulin to be produced. The increased insulin level then further leads to increased fat absorption, fat synthesis and fat storage as well. This creates a cycle of action that deposits more and more fat in the liver, but also generally increases fat storage in the body far beyond normal levels.

What do people affected by fatty liver notice?

It is sobering to note that about half of all those affected live practically asymptomatic and accordingly do not worry at all about their liver health, for example. On the one hand, this may have a calming effect, but on the other hand, it is an alarm signal that effective therapeutic interventions only start late, usually very late.

Some patients experience general but rather non-specific fatigue. A certain faintness and perhaps once undifferentiated slight pain in the upper abdomen indicate that a serious condition could be present here. Mostly, however, this is not taken seriously by the patients themselves.

As a result, in most cases the fatty liver remains an incidental finding that only comes to light during the treatment of other diseases. This could be, for example, elevated liver values during a health check or visible changes in the liver during a standard ultrasound examination.

In general, there is a risk that untreated fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis. At the latest then, those affected realise that their liver is sick. Typical signs are then the well-known large water belly, certain bypass circuits in the organism and other signs come very late, however. In practice, everything is possible with the clinical picture of fatty liver, from no symptoms to severe and dangerous courses of the disease.

Between 50 and 90 percent of people with fatty liver are obese, i.e. clearly overweight. Signs of a metabolic syndrome are recognisable.

How can a fatty liver be diagnosed with certainty?

A few years ago, biopsy was the method of choice when the condition of the liver cells needed to be determined more precisely. To do this, a needle is inserted directly into the organ and a small tissue sample is taken. This tissue sample can then be further examined for fatty liver cells.

Thanks to advances in medical technology, we can now diagnose fatty liver without a biopsy in 90 percent of cases. With different imaging methods such as ultrasound or computer tomography, absolutely painless examinations can be carried out today without interfering with the body. Thanks to the excellent presentation, the fat content in the liver can be determined comparatively well with reliable values.

The basis for the evaluation of the ultrasound examinations is, for example, a comparison of liver and kidney tissue. If both organs are healthy, they have approximately the same structure and colour in the image. If the kidney tissue appears darker than that of the liver, then the lighter parts in the liver indicate fat deposits. In this way, a fatty liver can already be recognised with a fairly high degree of certainty.

If the specialists then decide to take a tissue sample, usually to exclude or detect additional liver diseases, the differences become even clearer. A healthy liver consists of neatly arranged and clearly differentiated cells. In fatty liver, the disturbance of the cell architecture due to the fatty deposits is clearly visible. This becomes even more obvious in the case of a pronounced fatty liver with infected cells.

What is the path to fatty liver

From a healthy liver to a fatty liver always takes time and certain circumstances. Various unfavourable factors cause fat storage in the liver cells, which can then further lead to infection in the liver itself. It doesn’t have to be, but it can be. However, when such an infection takes place, a certain remodelling in the connective tissue is driven forward, which can lead to complete scarring of the liver if left untreated. Then the stage of liver cirrhosis has already been reached. Liver cirrhosis, in turn, is a favourable factor for the development of liver cancer. This applies to about two percent of those affected. But even when liver cirrhosis has not yet been diagnosed, more and more cases of liver cancer in fatty liver are becoming known. And in the USA, fatty liver is now considered the most common reason for liver transplantation.

A look at diabetes mellitus

Usually we are talking about diabetes here. This is diagnosed when chronically elevated sugar levels are found in the blood. The body is over-sugared, so to speak. The factors that cause high blood glucose levels are a reduction in the effect of insulin and, in the course of time, often an insulin deficiency.

Currently, about six percent of the world’s population, including children, are affected by diabetes. In children, type 1 diabetes is mostly observed. With the increase in morbid obesity, also in children, type 2 is also becoming more common. Diabetes can be diagnosed in a very reliable and uncomplicated way in various test procedures.

What does diabetes mellitus mean for people’s lives?

The presence of diabetes mellitus is actually associated with serious risks and consequences for the health and life of those affected. One problem is the damage to the small veins. This mainly affects the kidneys, the retina of the eye and the nervous system. The range extends from relatively mild kidney problems to complete kidney failure requiring dialysis. In the case of retinal diseases, such disorders can lead to blindness due to diabetes mellitus. In terms of damage to the nervous system, there is a loss of certain sensory impressions, which can manifest itself, for example, in patients no longer being able to feel the ground beneath their feet. Problems with coordination and spatial position change are also observed. Gastrointestinal disorders with diarrhoea and other symptoms are also reported. Cardiac arrhythmias can complete the picture.

In addition to damage to the small veins, damage to the large veins is also a consequence of diabetes mellitus. Particularly worth mentioning here are coronary heart diseases. At least here, the risk of diabetes patients is significantly higher compared to the normal population. For diabetics, this risk can be assessed as about twice as high. A full 75 percent of diabetics die from a cardiovascular event.

The risk of suffering a stroke is also about 2.5 times higher than in the comparison group of people without diabetes. A circulatory disorder, especially in the legs, has a risk of 4.5 times more than in the comparison group. The diabetic foot is well known, which is caused by precisely these circulatory disorders and can even lead to the necessary amputation.

Diabetes mellitus also generally increases the risk of infection in relation to practically all infectious diseases.

The relationship of fatty liver and diabetes mellitus

What is special about the relationship between fatty liver disease and diabetes mellitus is the fact that both diseases can be mutual and reciprocal triggers as well as consequences of the other disease. This means: fatty liver patients are or often become diabetics and diabetics often suffer from fatty liver. So there is a causal relationship between fatty liver and diabetes.

Let us imagine a possible course of events: An initially physically completely healthy and normal person begins to gain weight for various reasons. Fat tissue increases and at some point the ability to store fat is exhausted. This then leads to a veritable flooding of the entire organism with free fatty acids. At some point, the organism becomes resistant to the effect of insulin and hyperglycaemia occurs. Now the question arises: Where to put the sugar?

Some of the free fatty acids are deposited in the liver cells, where they lead to the fatty liver already described. This significantly limits the liver’s ability to metabolise healthy fats. In addition, there is an increasingly pronounced insulin residual tendency, which in turn affects blood sugar in the interaction and ultimately leads to type 2 diabetes. Other effects are always included here, such as high blood pressure, disorders of the function of the pancreas, etc.

The mutual condition of fatty liver and diabetes creates a vicious circle that is difficult to break, and then only with radical methodology.

What can be done?

At least up to a body mass index BMI of 30, maximum 35, it is still possible to take countermeasures and something should be done actively. It is worth noting that the fatty liver is reversible, i.e. it can also be regressed. Even if liver infection has already occurred, the process can still be reversed. Timely action is crucial. If cirrhosis of the liver has already occurred, it can hardly be stopped. Nevertheless, even then, consistent lifestyle adjustments and regular check-ups should be aimed at preventing further liver damage.

The way back to a healthy liver is always through a reduction in body weight and a corresponding reduction in the over-fatness of the organism. Even a five percent reduction in body weight leads to a relevant defatting of the liver.

With seven to ten percent weight loss, infections in the liver or incipient scarring of the liver tissue can also be reversed. These are encouraging facts that have been sufficiently tested and researched.

Several factors are crucial for weight loss. This starts with a significant reduction in calorie intake and continues with healthy and regular exercise. A period of at least eight weeks, but usually considerably more, is to be set. The closest possible consultation and care by specialists is highly advisable, as other risk factors must also be observed and ruled out. This applies especially to cardiovascular risks.

Toxic foods such as alcohol, drinks with a high fructose content and nicotine should be avoided at all costs.

You can watch the entire lecture by Dr. med. Michaela Neagu with a lot of additional interesting information and further questions and answers here in the video lecture.

A PowerPoint presentation on the topic illustrates and complements the lecture.

Hardy Walle, MD, at the 4th Helvetius Holding AG symposium

The focus of the 4th Helvetius Holding AG symposium at the Talent Campus Bodensee in Kreuzlingen on 22 October 2021 was the topic of liver health. All speakers agreed that fatty liver is a major cause of many diseases of civilisation in modern society. What could be more natural than to invite the co-founder of liver fasting with HEPAFAST® to the event? In his impressive and scientifically supported lecture, the nutritional physician and internist Dr. med. Hardy Walle not only established the connection between non-alcoholic fatty liver and diabetes, but at the same time proved the previously unattained effectiveness of the BODYMED HEPAFAST® concept for liver fasting. In the detailed report you will learn a lot about the topic and receive further information about liver fasting with HEPAFAST®.

Lecture:

Interview:

Liver Fasting with HEPAFAST® – The Effective Way to Liver Health

A healthy liver has extensive effects on a person’s state of health and has a lasting impact on many functions, especially metabolism. Hardy Walle, MD, was a very special guest at the 4th Helvetius Holding AG symposium at the Talent Campus Bodensee in Kreuzlingen.

Hardy Walle, MD, together with Prof. Nicolai Worm, is known as the founder of liver fasting with HEPAFAST®. The system, specially developed by both nutritional physicians, has been proven to have a positive effect on liver health and offers excellent opportunities for keeping the liver healthy. Even after severe liver diseases, but also used preventively, liver fasting according to Dr. Walle brings about the full functionality of the liver and thus contributes decisively to a healthy lifestyle. In his lecture, the internist and nutritionist and founder of BODYMED AG will present liver fasting with all its effects on liver detoxification and interactions on a healthy life.

Why liver fasting and what is special about it?

The core of the considerations here are the differences of liver fasting compared to other diet programmes. The starting point is provided by data on the development of overweight and the spread of obesity in Germany. It is clear that obesity with a BMI over 25 has spread significantly in the last 20 years or so. This applies especially to obesity with a BMI of 30 and above. In Germany, it is currently assumed that more than half of the total population is overweight. This leads to the logical conclusion that being overweight is now considered the normal thing to be. At the same time, almost a quarter of the population with a BMI of over 30 can be classified as obese. When we talk about obesity, we clearly mean obesity. This also makes it clear that in the case of overweight we are essentially looking at the ratio of fat to total weight. Last but not least, it is also about body fat distribution, i.e. where the fat is located on the body.

It is also interesting to note in the assessment of obesity that with the increase in overweight people, the proportion of people with type 2 diabetes is also increasing at more or less the same rate. It is interesting to note that diabetes mellitus type 2 has nothing to do with people’s age, as was once assumed. People of any age can be affected by type 2 diabetes, with obesity playing a particularly decisive role. Also among young people. So there is a clear correlation between obesity and secondary diseases.

It is all the more astonishing that light overweight is repeatedly communicated as not being so bad and that there are specialist journalists who believe that people “with light to medium overweight live the longest and get the fewest diseases …”. What is often meant is that the connection between BMI and mortality is not so significant.

Accordingly, there is a study in which, for once, not the BMI but the body shape, here specifically the waist circumference, was taken as a yardstick for the assessment among high-risk patients. Surprisingly, in the test group of around 15,000 volunteers, the group that turned out to be more mortal when measured within five years was the one that only had a BMI of 22. However, a closer look revealed that this group showed exactly the same waist circumference as the group of obese volunteers with a BMI 30. The waist circumference was 101 centimetres in each case. However, while the BMI 22 volunteer only had a belly, the BMI 30 volunteer also had a lot of fat distributed over his body.

The volunteers with the highest mortality were quite thin except in the abdominal area and had hardly any muscles. This also explains the relatively low weight despite a 101 abdominal girth. If we know that muscles also have a protective factor, then the increased mortality in this comparison group can also be explained by the lack of a protective function of the muscles. If one follows this thought, then it becomes clear that the ratio of muscle mass to fat mass is of great importance.

Conversely, this also means that BMI alone does not indicate how muscle and fat are distributed. So looking at BMI alone distorts reality, although it can provide initial signals. So it is not the BMI alone that is decisive. It definitely depends on the abdominal girth. Nevertheless, most people may know approximately their weight, but hardly anyone can quantify their abdominal circumference relatively clearly. An increased abdominal girth (women over 88 cm, men over 102 cm) is a clear risk factor for heart attacks, for example. Here, the risk increases by a factor of 4.5.

While there are tablets against high blood pressure, you can only influence your abdominal girth with your own activity. And this is exactly where liver fasting comes in. It is not one-sidedly about weight reduction, but quite clearly about belly reduction. In conclusion, this means getting rid of belly fat. But not only the fat around the organs, but especially the fat in the organs. This refers to the liver, pancreas, kidneys and, more broadly, the heart and bone structure.

Belly fat is the dangerous fat

It must be clear that the liver, for example, is not made to store fat. For that, there is rather the subcutaneous fat tissue. Belly fat has clear potential dangers. These show up as risk factors for

  • Diabetes type 2
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Potency disorders
  • Circulatory disorders
  • Dementia

All these can be consequences of too much belly fat. In principle, this is also where bariatric surgery comes in, which can certainly also ensure rapid defatting of the liver with obesity surgery.

A renowned German researcher puts the basic statement in a nutshell: “Without a fatty liver, there is no diabetes”. (Professor Norbert Stefan, Tübingen)

In most cases, it is the fatty liver that is the trigger and cause of many secondary diseases. Knowing this is important, because only then can cause, symptom, effect be clearly determined, which ultimately has clear implications for the right therapy.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) can be considered the cause of many manifestations of pathological processes. For example, for infections caused by free radicals, for gout caused by increased uric acid, increased blood sugar levels, lipid metabolism disorders, high blood pressure or for thrombosis and finally the metabolic syndrome. Liver cancer is not negligible here and is increasing explosively, especially in the USA with the large proportion of obese people.

Generally speaking, 30 to 40 percent of the total population in Germany is affected by a fatty liver. In the overweight group, this proportion is already 70 percent. If we take only type 2 diabetics, around 90 percent of those affected are “equipped” with a fatty liver. From this, the connections between fatty liver, obesity and diabetes become even clearer. This makes non-alcoholic fatty liver one of the most common liver diseases. But even 15 percent of outwardly slim people are affected by a fatty liver.

How can non-alcoholic fatty liver be diagnosed?

Basically, a non-alcoholic fatty liver is a fatty liver that is not caused by alcohol or other causes. In industrialised nations, it is considered the most frequently diagnosed liver disease. Just as no typical complaints can be detected, pure laboratory values alone hardly provide a meaningful basis.

We speak of a non-alcoholic fatty liver when more than 5.5 to 6 percent of the liver cells are fatty. This portion cannot be detected on ultrasound alone. Here, something can only be seen from a fatty degeneration of about 20 percent. The most accurate diagnosis can be made with a liver biopsy, but this is unlikely to be the first step in the diagnosis.

One value has become established in Europe. We are talking about the Fatty Liver Index (FLI). This results in a validated algorithmic numerical value that is also well suited for progress monitoring. With the FLI, a fatty liver can be diagnosed quite well and reliably.

Statistics show that mortality is significantly increased in fatty liver patients. Fatty liver is therefore not a cosmetic problem or characterised solely by increased blood fat levels etc., it is a real high-risk factor in terms of life expectancy and mortality.

Main causes for the development of a fatty liver

In the past, the causes of fatty liver were simply summarised by saying that people eat too much fat. The real cause, however, is an excess of ingested carbohydrates. Another cause may be the intake of a lot of fructose, i.e. fruit sugar. The main fatsifier of the liver is even found here.

Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar in the body. At the same time, the pancreas produces insulin. However, insulin has two effects: On the one hand, insulin ensures that the sugar reaches the muscles, and on the other hand, some of the sugar reaches the liver to regulate the blood sugar level there. If the liver releases too much sugar, insulin slows down this release. In addition, insulin ensures that excess sugar is stored in fat tissue.

Under certain conditions, organs begin to no longer respond adequately to insulin. A kind of insulin resistance develops. Then the liver is also no longer properly regulated by insulin. In the prediabetic course, the blood glucose level then rises even in fasting volunteers. Such a process develops slowly, so that in individual cases diabetes only develops after ten to twelve years. This process can even take up to 20 years. During this time, the liver is less and less regulated by insulin and becomes increasingly fatty. This process is accelerated when the subcutaneous fat tissue cannot form any more fat cells because it is literally flooded with fat. More and more fat and sugar move in the blood. Out of a natural reaction, the organism then builds up additional fat stores in the liver.

In the long term, however, it is not only the liver that becomes fatty, but also the pancreas, the kidneys, the muscles, the heart and even the hypothalamus in the brain.

The basics of liver fasting

The basic idea behind liver fasting is to simply go backwards from the rather unhealthy path taken so far. The most important step is the defatting of the liver. This usually requires a strict diet.

This means:

  • less than 1’000 kcal per day
  • few carbohydrates
  • Absorption of high quality protein
  • Only “good” fats if possible
  • special liver-active agents and dietary fibres

All this is combined in HEPAFAST® in a well-tolerated and easy-to-use formula. The programme is easy to implement in everyday life. It is easy to digest, fills you up and meets all the requirements of a good liver-healthy diet.

HEPAFAST® is taken three times a day, prepared with a milk product. In addition, twice daily vegetable preparations with a total of maximum 200 kcal per day. This means one HEPAFAST® preparation for breakfast, one HEPAFAST® and one vegetable preparation for lunch and one HEPAFAST® and one vegetable preparation for dinner. No more, but also no less.

Due to this suitability for everyday use, there are hardly any dropouts in the HEPAFAST® liver detoxification programme, which significantly increases the success rate.

The reset for the metabolism causes:

  • Normalisation of the function of the pancreas and the insulin sensitivity of the liver
  • Promotion of insulin secretion
  • Normalisation of glucagon regulation
  • reduces the uncontrolled release of glucose from the liver into the blood
  • improves metabolism and facilitates weight loss

For whom is liver fasting useful?

In principle, liver fasting with HEPAFAST® is useful for all patients with the following constellation:

  • Fatty liver (NAFDL, NASH)
  • metabolic syndrome
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Overweight and obesity
  • Lipometabolic disorders
  • High blood pressure
  • preventive as a “metabolic cure” for the prevention of diseases
  • prior to bariatric surgery

It makes no sense to wait until you have a BMI of 30 or an abdominal circumference of well over 100 centimetres. You can always start a liver fast with HEPAFAST® even without such symptoms.

Further information

You can watch the entire live video stream with Hardy Walle, MD, with additional research results, statistics and a concrete case study here.

In addition, you will also find further contributions from Helvetius Holding AG’s specialist conferences here.

Belching, obesity and diabetes – recognising connections

Only those who recognise the connection between reflux, obesity and diabetes can find the right therapeutic approach. This is what emerges from the expert lecture by Dr. Med. Jörg Zehetner, Professor (USC), about which you can read the full article here.

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Martin Andermatt with his experiences on liver fasting

When Martin Andermatt talks about his experiences with liver fasting, the football legend and FC Schaffhausen coach is mainly talking about experiences with himself. The core of his presentations is that something only changes if you change yourself. This is just as true in active sports as it is in maintaining the health of one’s own body. The well-known Swiss also shares this experience at the 4th Helvetius Holding AG symposium at the Talent Campus Bodensee in Kreuzlingen. Read the report here and find out where you can watch the live stream.

A field report on liver fasting with HEPAFAST® by Martin Andermatt

Dr. med. Jörg Zehetner, Professor (USC), and Dr. med. Hardy Walle spoke on the topic of liver health and fatty liver at the 4th specialist conference of Helvetius Holding AG at the Talent Campus Bodensee Kreuzlingen. The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the lecture by Dr. Hardy Walle, MD, who not only used the latest scientific approaches to shed light on non-alcoholic fatty liver from a somewhat different perspective, but was also able to present an effective concept for liver fasting in the form of HEPAFAST®.

In the following, football legend Martin Andermatt reported on his own experiences of liver fasting with HEPAFAST®. As a successful professional footballer and now coach of FC Schaffhausen, Martin Andermatt knows very well how important stable health is and what effects a healthy liver has on the entire organism.

As a football coach, Martin Andermatt likes to talk about his own practical experiences. With his own experience, Martin Andermatt was the first Swiss coach of a German Bundesliga team and also knows the German league business from the perspective of a supervisory board member at the Hannover 96 club.

In line with his own sporting career, also as an active player, Martin Andermatt has always been interested in how a good, balanced and healthy diet can be designed. As he got older, the question of how to continue in life after active football also came into focus. The main interest was in the physical and psychological effects of no longer exercising so intensively and practically losing a previously accustomed amount of exercise.

As a coach, Martin Andermatt also sees his responsibility in conveying information to adolescent and also adult players that is also correct and underpinned. Conjecture, hearsay and supposed knowledge are not really strong arguments. That is why Martin Andermatt knows very well that only one’s own experience is a good basis for passing on knowledge. He also sees this fundamental approach as important when he gives his very own experience report on liver fasting with HEPAFAST® at the 4th Helvetius Holding AG symposium.

Even though Martin Andermatt, as a non-medical doctor, does not know the formulas for liver health, he was able to follow every step in the lectures by Dr. med. Jörg Zehetner, Professor(USC), and Dr. med. Hardy Walle, founder of BODYMED and co-developer of liver fasting with HEPAFAST®. Especially from his own experience.

Personal experience is what really counts

Martin Andermatt also knows from his experience with liver fasting that this is not simply a matter of doing things quickly for a short time. It is always important to look at the development. Martin Andermatt sees this in his sporting commitment as well as in his personal attitude to health. However, even here beautiful and melodious words are always worth less than one’s own experience. And this is exactly how Martin Andermatt reports on his own experience with liver fasting with HEPAFAST®.

His first observation is about the dream world. For example, he reports that he dreamed much more intensely than usual during the periods of liver fasting. In addition, he felt extremely vital and efficient in every phase of the liver fast.

With now already 60 years of life experience, Martin Andermatt still feels very well today and knows that he has already tried a lot of things regarding health maintenance. Be it juice cures or various diet programmes. Martin Andermatt knows what he is talking about when he passes on information to his athletes.

Especially with regard to older people, nutrition is very important. Too little exercise, a lack of good proteins and the loss of muscle mass all impact on health. Overall, the quality of life can suffer a lot, which is an important issue for Martin Andermatt. After all, quality of life is an important issue for all people. Especially when they get older. Then you also need a good measure of discipline if you want to stay physically and mentally fit over a long period of time.

Just thinking that maybe you should lose some weight is not enough to really achieve that. Only then, when one becomes active in the process, will success be achieved. So it’s about real action, which is always crucial for change.

A first step for Martin Andermatt in his encounter with liver fasting was to pick up the HEPAFAST® preparation himself in Bern and not simply have it sent to him. In the Swiss1Chirurgie clinic, he had his measurements taken, so to speak. What really counts are actual and current values. Martin Andermatt already knows this from his sporting career.

Motivation counts

As in many other areas, the right motivation is the best starting point for good results in liver fasting. If one’s own motivation can then be supported in a discussion with a medical specialist, this is a good prerequisite for active action.

What counts then is the real doing. Not tomorrow or perhaps the day after tomorrow, but ideally right away, one should start with what one has recognised as good and right for oneself.

From Martin Andermatt’s point of view, it is sometimes the small vanities that can be an impetus for liver fasting. Who doesn’t want to please their partner even at an older age? Who doesn’t want to be active and fit even as they get older? You also want to be a role model for the children and if you are a coach, it all has something to do with a positive aura on the people you are training. Only if you like yourself can you radiate that positively, says Martin Andermatt.

In addition, of course, there are the thoughts about one’s own health. Even if you have paid absolute attention to a healthy diet and lifestyle for many years, sometimes this changes as you gain experience in life. However, personal health always remains the most important asset. You have to decide what is good and what is right. Those who decide for themselves do not have to let others decide for them. And health should always be a very important factor in these decisions as well.

What advice should you give to active athletes at the end of their career?

In general, active athletes eat a diet very rich in carbohydrates, as they need this energy for their physical exertion. Often, at the end of their career, it can be observed that many athletes quickly gain weight and even tend to become obese. Then it is important to get back to normal life as well. A deeply human factor also plays an important role here. As an athlete, you are suddenly no longer in demand. This can quickly lead to letting oneself go. In every respect. It is then all the more important to recognise one’s own human value. You have to see what you still want to achieve in life and what you can accomplish and with what charisma you want to meet your fellow human beings. The short-lived lucky charms like good food, Coke or a bag of crisps are then not really what you need. The short happiness is a fallacy that in the end only makes people dissatisfied and unhappy.

The recommendation for active athletes at the end of their career

In any case, those who are at the end of their career have to train off slowly. It is not the end from one day to the next that counts, but the gradual change to a normal status. Just as you then gradually say goodbye to high athletic performance, you naturally also have to change your diet. The mental load also changes, which must also be considered.

Martin Andermatt is convinced that what counts now are good conversations, even beyond one’s own horizon of experience. Good medical supervision can be useful. This is not about fear of any diagnosis, but about developing visions for one’s own future. At the same time, it is also important for Martin Andermatt to simply live in a more relaxed and happy way.

As a coach, he follows a very clear philosophy, which he likes to sum up in three words: Laugh, learn, sweat. When he passes this on to his players, Martin Andermatt himself also likes to think about whether he has already laughed, learned and maybe even sweated today. The most beautiful thing is when you can give the players something beyond pure sport that is still of value for life after active sport.

Your own experiences with liver fasting

From his own experience, Martin Andermatt can only associate liver fasting with pleasant perceptions. This includes above all the real feeling of well-being and the new energy he felt for himself.

Especially in times when one wants to recognise oneself anew, liver fasting is an additionally exciting experience. Martin Andermatt has already completed a liver fasting cure with HEPAFAST® three times and is sure that he will do it again and again. If only because of all the positive energy it has given him. He is also happy to recommend liver fasting to others. He stands behind it with all his personality and experience.

Of course, it can be difficult for individuals to face their issues. People often prefer to make fun of themselves instead of tackling important changes. Certainly also because change can be uncomfortable. But those who listen to themselves know that only change brings change. And that is exactly what applies to liver fasting.

The question is not why you fell into the water, but how you get out of it. It’s about making decisions and then following through with them consistently. And if you need support to do that, you have to get that support.