Although there are drugs in the pipeline, there is currently no medication to combat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

However, you can actually manage the condition — and even reverse it — in the same way you do heart disease.

Lose Weight. A study of 50 patients found that those who lost 5 percent of their weight improved their blood glucose levels and reduced the fat in their livers. Those who lost 9 percent of their body weight actually began to see liver damage reverse.

Eat Better. Whether you’re losing weight or not, it’s important to improve your diet. Replace processed and fried foods with whole foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fish or meat that is not fried. Some studies show that the Mediterranean diet, with its reliance on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and olive oil may also protect the liver. You should also eliminate refined sugars from your diet

Exercise. A study of obese people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease found that walking one hour a day on a treadmill for seven consecutive days jump-started metabolism and helped reduce inflammatory damage.