A collection of fats in the liver cells is called the fatty liver. This condition is also called steatosis hepatitis or steatorrhoeic hepatosis.

Fatty liver by itself though abnormal is a relatively harmless condition. The liver is the largest organ in the human body. It plays many roles in keeping the biochemical balance intact. You should know some normal functions of the liver to understand how the disease affects it.

Under normal conditions, your liver creates optimal nutrition for all the 50 trillion odd cells in your body. Different roles played by the liver are:

Fatty liver has large amounts of fats (triglycerides) accumulating within the liver cells. Excess aggregation of fats within the small hepatocytes swells them up and occasionally the whole liver is enlarged enough for feeling it.

Fatty liver can be a harbinger of more troublesome conditions. Steatosis simply means a collection of fat vacuoles within the liver cells (hepatocytes).

Alcohol and obesity are two leading causes of fatty liver worldwide. Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) and Alcoholic Fatty Liver (AFL) are entities by themselves. Obesity plus other non-alcoholic conditions comprise Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease (NALD).