3 bad habits that cause immune cells to go rogue and inflame

Many people think that without eating a lot of meat and rich food, they won't develop fatty liver disease. In reality, diet and bad fats are not the only culprits. A doctor explains that 3 major bad habits can cause cells to spiral into uncontrolled inflammation, worsening fatty liver. The doctor also suggests 5 strategies to strengthen liver protection and reverse fatty liver.

Genetic and Eugenics doctor Dr. Chang Jia-ming recently cited a 2025 study published in the journal Cell Communication and Signaling on his personal Facebook page, explaining that the repair functions of macrophages are affected by bad lifestyle habits, leading to the worsening of fatty liver. He explained that "the liver doesn't fail suddenly." The resident macrophages in the liver work hard every day to maintain balance, and the reason for their "defection" lies in newcomers:

• When liver cells accumulate too much fat and are under lipotoxicity stress, they release danger signals, recruiting new immune cells into the liver.
• The newly arrived "monocyte-derived macrophages," under the influence of poor lifestyle habits such as high-fat diet, stress, sleep deprivation, and gut inflammation, become irritable, sensitive, prone to misidentifying friend from foe, and amplify inflammatory responses.

Chang emphasizes that metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) doesn't happen suddenly but is the cumulative result of long-term stress on the body. The following 3 common lifestyle habits can alter the nature of the liver's guardian "macrophages":

Liver-Damaging Habit 1: Eating Too Much Fat

• Reason: Saturated fats stimulate the TLR2/4 alarm system in macrophages, causing them to mistake normal conditions for an attack, making them more sensitive and irritable, leading to easier liver inflammation.
• High-Risk Foods:
  • Oils too high in saturated fats, such as lard, butter, cream, coconut oil, palm oil.
  • Refined vegetable oils with excessive Omega-6, such as soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, commonly used in eating out and processed foods.
  • High-temperature fried foods, such as fried chicken, French fries, fried pork chops, deep-fried dough sticks, etc.

Liver-Damaging Habit 2: Prolonged Sitting

• Reason: Lack of blood flow to the liver leads to a spike in lipotoxicity, forcing macrophages to remain in a long-term "battle mode."
• High-Risk Habit: Sitting continuously for 3 hours is more damaging to the liver than imagined.

Liver-Damaging Habit 3: Staying Up Late

• Reason: Staying up just one night can increase the liver's pro-inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α, activating the macrophage's "inflammation switch," pushing them towards pro-inflammatory and fibrotic development.
• High-Risk Habit: Staying up late is more damaging to the liver than eating fat.

5 Warning Signs of Overtaxed Liver Cells & 5 Ways to Reverse Fatty Liver

Chang reminds that if the following symptoms appear, it might be a "distress signal" from overworked macrophages:

• Feeling particularly tired and listless after a high-fat meal.
• Abdominal bloating, decreased appetite, irregular bowel movements.
• Abnormally elevated liver enzymes after staying up late.
• Unexplained tightness in the abdomen.
• Feeling fatigued despite adequate sleep.

To help macrophages return to normal, consider the following 5 strategies:

1. Smart Oil Choices

Avoid regularly consuming saturated fats, refined vegetable oils, and high-temperature fried foods, as these oils easily stimulate the macrophage alarm system, making the liver more prone to inflammation.

2. Regular Movement

Get up and move every 50 minutes to promote liver blood flow, giving macrophages a chance to "breathe."

3. Regular Routine

Eat dinner earlier and maintain regular sleep to help macrophages exit "battle mode."

4. Stress Management

Relax in a timely manner to avoid stress hormones stimulating inflammatory pathways. The more tense the body is, the more unsettled the macrophages become.

5. 3 Types of Foods to Protect the Gut

Include one meal daily with dark green vegetables and supplement with apple pectin or oats to build a healthy backbone for the liver.

Chang emphasizes that the liver's fate is not "predetermined" and can be readjusted daily. Those seemingly insignificant habits are quietly changing macrophages, gradually restoring them to their original roles of "guarding, repairing, and building."

6 Common Symptoms of Fatty Liver; Pain in This Area is a Warning Sign

In Hong Kong, over 1 million people have fatty liver disease. Fatty liver is categorized into "alcoholic fatty liver disease" and "non-alcoholic fatty liver disease." According to the Department of Health, fatty liver (or steatotic liver disease) refers to the excessive accumulation of fat within liver cells. The formation of fatty liver is also closely linked to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood lipids, and high blood pressure.

"Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease" refers to a spectrum of liver diseases related to excessive fat accumulation in liver cells (exceeding 5% of liver volume). The cause of fat accumulation is unrelated to excessive alcohol consumption or other secondary factors (such as medication or congenital metabolic defects). Among them, fatty liver has 6 common symptoms, including:

• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Upper right abdominal discomfort
• Fatigue
• In severe cases, it may lead to liver enlargement

If not improved in time, fatty liver can progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer. To accurately diagnose whether one has fatty liver, imaging tests such as ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, or a liver biopsy are necessary.