The most common types in the US are hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV). It is estimated that within the next 10 years about 150,000 people in the US will die from liver cancer and liver disease associated with hepatitis B & C. 1-2% of the population in the US are living with HBV or HCV (Hepatitis and liver., 2010). Chronic viral hepatitis infections are 3–5 times more frequent than HIV in the US. Since the year 2000 the rate of hepatitis A, B, and C infections has decreased. A decrease in the HBV is contributed to the development of the hepatitis B vaccine. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. HCV is transmitted by direct exposure to infectious blood. Populations likely to have chronic HCV infection include those who received a blood transfusion before 1992 and past or current injection-drug users (Hepatitis and liver., 2010). Populations at risk for all hepatitis infections include: Asian and Pacific Islanders, those with STD's, HIV/AIDS, and African Americans. .
Many treatments have been developed to combat liver diseases. Vaccines have been developed for hepatitis B, medications are used for patients with cirrhosis, and a final option of liver transplants if liver failure occurs. A common technique used to help treat patients with liver diseases is the introduction of a Medium Chain Triglyceride (MCT) diet. In comparison to the normal Long Chain Triglycerides (LCT) found in foods MCT's are only 8-10 carbon units long. They are prepared synthetically by processing coconut oil and palm kernel oils. [4] MCT therapeutic diets are being used as medicine for many patients who have trouble digesting and absorbing fats. MCT's are absorbed intact into the mucosal cell by an intracellular lipase, rather than a pancreatic lipase. The lipolysis of MCT's leads to complete degradation to fatty acids (FA) and a glycerol molecule. The FA's produced are not re-esterified and secreted into the lymph in the form of chylomicrons.