Not only does the right amount of exercise and an optimized diet save your child from obesity, it also reduces and prevents the spread of fatty liver disease, according to Brazilian researchers.

Scientists measured the effect nutritional guidance, plus a pair of one-hour exercise sessions each week, would have on 73 obese teens over 12 weeks. Before the study, more than half of the patients had fatty liver disease on the right side of their organ and almost half had it on their left side.

Afterward, fatty liver disease among -- on either side -- fell sharply to 29 percent, and almost half of the young patients lost weight. The reason you should be so concerned about your teenager carrying a lot of extra pounds, especially near his liver: Fatty liver disease can progress to cirrhosis (irreversible and advanced scarring due to inflammation).

A optimized regimen of diet and exercise, not only prevents liver damage that can be fatal, but can help your child avoid the epidemic of diabetes, a chronic, degenerative disease that responds just marvelously to nearly any dedicated efforts that address the underlying cause of the problem.