Like it or not, there's more to carb consumption than fat gain and diabetes. A diet rich in carbohydrates also results in fatty liver, and may lead to liver failure and death.

When sugar melts out of high-glycemic index food, Ludwig explains, it drives up production of insulin, which tells the body to make and store fat. Nowhere is this message felt more strongly than in the liver, because the pancreas, which makes insulin, dumps the hormone directly into the liver, where concentrations can be many times higher than in the rest of the body. Fat buildup in the liver, or fatty liver, is usually symptomless, but it increases the risk for liver inflammation, which can progress to hepatitis and, in some cases, liver failure...

You may be familiar with this condition as it applies to alcoholics, but it is also acquired from high glycemic carbohydrate consumption. It is prevalent among children and growing to epidemic levels.

...now between 1 in 4 and 1 in 2 overweight American children are estimated to have the condition. As these millions of children age, some will progress to full-blown liver disease...

Choices people, it's all about your choices of foods you bring into your household.

...The new study makes clear that the type of carbohydrate can cause fatty liver in animals, independent of other elements of diet or lifestyle.

For further reading, check out Dr. John Briffa's new post, Why carbs can turn your liver into foie gras.