Dan Marino played quarterback for his entire 17-season career with the Miami Dolphins from 1983 to 1999. As a professional football player, he was always active and mindful of his diet. But after retirement, he let things slip a bit. He never expected to receive a frightening diagnosis at a 2007 physical appointment. Dad Marino told People he has metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH. Its a form of liver disease that can lead to dangerous things like cancer and cirrhosis.
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“The doctors right away said that can be reversible, it can be taken care of, but, mainly for me, they were saying, like, ‘You gotta work out. You got to lose weight,” Dan told People.
Dan Marino Said His MASH Was Caused By Diet
Dan Marino explained to People that his MASH was brought on by his diet, but can be reversed. It won’t happen on its own, though. Dan has to put in the work.
“It’s the exercise, riding bike, walking, and diet, and then getting back to just being consistent — waking up and making sure you gotta do something every day,” he explained.
Dan Marino stays healthy with the help of the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on lots of fresh fruits and vegetables along with healthy fats. He’s cut back on things like pizza and wine, but knows that if he wants to stay healthy, he has to take care of himself.
Dan told People he’s opening up about his MASH diagnosis to give hope to others. He wants people to know they can live a full life despite the scary diagnosis.
“If you get diagnosed with fatty liver and MASH, doing the things you need to do, like I talked about — diet, working out — and staying consistent with it, that’s what our message really is,” he said.
This story’s featured image is by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
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