On April 19, 2025, CMRI Kolkata, a unit of CK Birla Hospitals, hosted an insightful panel discussion to mark World Liver Day, aligning with this year’s global theme — “Food is Medicine.” The event brought together leading medical experts to shed light on the increasing burden of liver diseases and the vital role of nutrition in maintaining liver health.
The panel featured a distinguished lineup of speakers, including Dr. Sanjay De Bakshi (Sr. Consultant, GI & General Surgery), Dr. Ajay Mandal (Sr. Consultant, GI & HPB Surgery), Dr. Somnath Mukherjee, Dr. Saswata Chatterjee, and Dr. Anirban Chatterjee (Sr. Consultants, Gastroenterology), along with Dr. Avik Bhattacharya (Sr. Consultant & HOD, Interventional & Endovascular Radiology). The discussion was moderated by Dr. Sarfaraz J Baig (Sr. Consultant, GI, AWR & Bariatric Surgery), who navigated conversations around the latest trends, preventive care, and community outreach in liver health.
Doctors collectively emphasized how liver diseases, including fatty liver, cirrhosis, liver tumors, and cancer, are rising at an alarming rate—often linked to lifestyle factors such as poor diet, obesity, and lack of exercise. With “Food is Medicine” as the central theme, the discussion focused on how small, intentional changes in daily diet—such as incorporating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats—can prevent liver damage and even reverse early stages of liver disease.
The physicians benefitted from the discussion on how to detect liver disease early. It has been shown that the major challenge in management of liver disease stems from late detection. Physicians were encouraged to pick up subtle symptoms like weakness, bloating, indigestion and use Fibroscan more frequently than blood tests. The latter is a poor tool in picking up the disease early.
There is a rising trend of fatty liver disease in India due to obesity whereas there is a decline in viral liver disease. Hence we need a registry in India to capture the trend and allocate resource in the right direction.
World Liver Day 2025 at CMRI served as a powerful reminder that awareness, early detection, and lifestyle changes are key to tackling the silent epidemic of liver diseases. The event reaffirmed CMRI Kolkata’s commitment to driving clinical excellence and empowering communities through education, prevention, and expert care.
