In a rare win, Mumbai man reverses stage-3 fatty liver in 3 mths

Mumbai: Troubled by frequent burping, 70-year-old Thane resident Hiren Bose underwent a health check-up that revealed stage-3 fatty liver. Fatty liver, or Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Liver Disease (MASLD), affects nearly a third of adult Indians. Linked to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and inactivity, it is expected to become a leading reason for liver transplants.Against this backdrop, Bose's recovery stands out. In three months, he reversed his stage 3 fatty liver diagnosis. "For three months from Aug 2025, I took the 7.04am AC train from Thane to Byculla, then a cab to Jaslok Hospital on Pedder Road. I braved the Mumbai monsoon three times a week for 45-minute physiotherapy sessions," he said.Last week, his hepatologist, Dr Aabha Nagral, found that not only was the fat around his liver gone, but even the scar tissue, or fibrosis, was gone. "MASLD has two parameters: the fat around the liver as well as the scar tissues. It was previously considered difficult, but we are now learning that it's indeed possible to reverse fatty liver," said Dr Nagral. She added that stage-4 cirrhosis cannot be reversed.Bose, however, mentions he coupled lifestyle modifications with a secret ingredient: jackfruit powder. He read about the beneficial influence of green jackfruit flour on fatty liver and reached out to an Ahmedabad-based endocrinologist, Dr Vinod Abichandani, who treated hundreds of fatty liver patients using it. "I was older, had diabetes, so I decided to add a spoonful of green jackfruit flour in a bowl of curd every afternoon," he said. Doctors say lifestyle changes are central to treatment. Dr Ameet Mandot of Gleneagles Hospital, Parel, said, "Indians have a diet rich in carbohydrates and low in fibre and proteins. Just making this change should help." Dr Nagral's 48-year-old patient, Goregaon-based astrologer Preeti Tripathi, also saw improvement. "People look for shortcuts with pills, but lifestyle modifications work better," she said.Techie Ravindra, 35, discovered grade-3 fatty liver during a routine check-up. "I have been a regular at the gym, so never thought I would have fatty liver," he said. After joining Jaslok Hospital's fatty liver clinic, he changed his diet. His liver fat dropped from 325 (S3) to 250 (S1), while fibrosis fell from 7.7 to below 7.Get real-time updates and result insights on the CBSE 12 Result 2026.