OVERWEIGHT, tired and suffering brain fog, Janet Peets knew “something wasn’t right”.
In just nine months, the 44-year-old had put on more than two stone – but initially assumed maybe they were all just ‘normal’ signs of ageing.
Janet Peets, 44, was dismissed by doctors despite concerns about her weight Credit: Jam Press/@myinsulinreset
Janet is 2st lighter after tackling the root cause of symptoms – a condition she says went missed for years Credit: Jam Press/@myinsulinreset
The mum-of-four tells Jattvibe Health: “That kind of rapid weight gain in your early forties is often dismissed as ageing or perimenopause.
“Each symptom was treated separately. Nobody looked at them together.”
When they finally did, Janet was diagnosed with fatty liver disease, a hidden health issue millions have no idea they have until it’s too late.
Fatty liver disease, medically called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD for short, can silently blight the health of those who have it.
It comes as a study last week found that around 25 per cent of cases occur before the age of 50 years old.
But research by University of California San Diego suggested that it develops ‘silently’ in younger people, and current screening tools do not detect disease.
Another study last month found MASLD is rising astronomically in people of middle-age.
UK diagnoses have soared five-fold in 20 years, reaching 284,000 by 2022, a study last month found.
But Liver UK estimates one in four adults have it, suggesting millions of cases are yet to be diagnosed.
Now, Janet, a neuroscientist and biomedical engineer, is warning others not to ignore the early but vague warning signs, such as lethargy, hunger, difficulty concentrating and tummy pain, which can progress to bruising easily and tummy swelling.
Left untreated, liver disease can cause irreversible scarring on the liver – leading to liver failure and cancer.
Pamela Healy, chief executive at Liver UK, tells Jattvibe Health: “Liver disease is the public health emergency that no one is talking about, killing more than 10,000 people every year.
“Obesity is a key driver and if current trends continue, will be the leading cause of liver disease, overtaking alcohol, by the end of this decade.”
Janet’s body was sending her warning signs for years – she just didn’t know how to read them.
She says: “My blood sugar kept creeping up but stayed within the normal range, so no one flagged it.
“Even when I was right on the edge of pre-diabetes, I was told they’d just monitor it.”
MASLD is also linked to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and lack of exercise.
Janet, from Huntington Beach, California, believes insulin resistance was the root cause, triggered by pregnancy.
“I can’t say with certainty, but the metabolic pattern was clearly building long before anyone identified it,” she says.
When the body stops responding properly to insulin, it struggles to process blood sugar.
The excess sugar can be stored as fat in the liver.
Janet, whose four kids are aged 10 to 16, had a number of metabolic warning signs.
She struggled to get high blood pressure (hypertension), a symptom of insulin resistance, under control, despite multiple medications.
And when blood tests showed high liver enzymes over two years, she pushed for a referral.
Now the busy mum, pictured with her husband, Ben, 48, is focusing on lowering insulin levels through fasting, diet, exercise and improving sleep Credit: Jam Press/@myinsulinreset
DO YOU HAVE THE SIGNS OF MASLD?
Early symptoms of fatty liver disease include:
Fatigue or tiredness
Lack of energy
Pain in the upper right side of the tummy, where the liver is.
In later stages of MASLD, symptoms become much more noticeable and include:
Bruising and swelling in the tummy and leg
Yellow skin and eyes
Dark, tarry poo
Dark urine
Unexplained weight loss
Type 2 diabetes can cause, and be caused by, MASLD.Liver UK says: “Having the two conditions together puts people more at risk of diabetes-related complications, more serious liver disease, heart disease and problems with blood vessels.“Patients with these conditions must have regular check-ups with their GP or medical team.”
“When I asked my doctor, she told me it was probably just stress.
“I wasn’t satisfied with that answer – especially with so many seemingly new ailments.”
Janet was then seen by a gastroenterologist earlier this year, who conducted a liver ultrasound.
“That’s when I received the formal MASLD diagnosis,” she says.
“The light bulb went on and I finally realised what was happening in my body.
“Those [liver] enzymes were signaling something real that had been building for years. I’m glad I kept asking.
“Nobody ever tested my fasting insulin.
“That single test would have caught this years earlier.
“Standard blood sugar tests measure glucose — not insulin.
“Fasting insulin rises years before blood glucose becomes abnormal because the body compensates by producing more and more insulin to keep glucose in the normal range.”
While researching the condition, Janet discovered that skin tags can sometimes be linked to insulin resistance.
She had first noticed skin tags on her neck, armpits and groin when she was pregnant 15 years ago.
Janet first noticed skin tags on her neck, armpits and groin during pregnancy 15 years ago Credit: Jam Press/@myinsulinreset
She was told the skin tags were hormonal during pregnancy so “didn’t think much of it” Credit: Jam Press/@myinsulinreset
Doctors reassured her that the growths were hormonal and nothing to worry about, but they reappeared 12 years later, in 2022.
“When they came back years later, it never occurred to me they could be telling me something about what was happening inside my body,” Janet says.
“Once I saw that link, everything made sense – the blood pressure, the sleep issues, the cravings, the brain fog.”
The longer MASLD remains undiagnosed, the more fat builds up in the liver, leading to inflammation, scarring, and potentially permanent damage to the liver, known as cirrhosis.
This can lead to life-threatening liver failure. Cirrhosis is an important risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer.
But a fatty liver can be repaired if caught early, says Pamela.
Losing weight, eating a healthy and balanced diet and exercise helps and in some cases, reverse MASLD, according to the British Liver Trust.
Janet says: “I realised every symptom I’d had for years came back to one root cause, chronic insulin resistance.
“I knew where this was heading if I didn’t intervene.
“As a runner and a fairly active person, I thought I had nutrition figured out.
“I was already eating relatively well, mostly whole foods.
“But I was eating too frequently, snacking between meals, loading up on carbs and not paying attention to how and when I ate.”
She now practices intermittent fasting – eating all her meals between noon and 6pm – eats fewer carbs (which can lead to blood sugar spikes), more protein and fibre.
Evidence shows that increasing your intake of fibre, especially cereal and wholegrains, can help reduce the risk of insulin resistance.
Janet goes on 10-minute walks after meals, which has shown to reduce blood sugar levels.
She also does weight training and makes sure to get enough sleep.
“Even one bad night can impact insulin sensitivity,” she notes.
She says the results have been dramatic.
“In 11 weeks, I lost 1st 3lbs and eight inches off my waist,” says Janet, who has now lost another 1st since.
“My blood pressure has dropped from dangerously high to normal.
“My cravings have gone, I’m sleeping through the night and my energy is completely different.
“I used to wake between 2am and 4am every night. Within a month, that stopped.
“Addressing the root cause made the difference.
“The skin tags are resolving on their own without any treatment.
“I feel like I got my life back. I finally feel like myself again.”
Janet, who documents her health journey on Instagram (@myinsulinreset) is sharing her story to raise awareness.
“Insulin resistance is incredibly common and people need to understand the signs,” she says.
Skin tags can be a clue. File picture Credit: Getty
Janet says her symptoms were never considered together, with things like high liver enzymes blamed on stress, and if they had, she might have been diagnosed with MASLD sooner Credit: Jam Press/@myinsulinreset
