Love your liver- Simple habits for a healthier liver

Our liver is a powerhouse organ responsible for over 500 vital functions including detoxifying our blood, producing bile, storing energy, and helping our body fight against infections. Despite its importance, liver health is often overlooked until something goes wrong. But the good news is  many liver diseases are preventable with a healthy lifestyle. In this article, we’ll dive into practical, research-backed ways to maintain liver health and avoid common threats.

The liver is essential to your metabolism and immune defense. It breaks down toxins, stores nutrients, and regulates hormones. When it’s compromised, everything from digestion to energy levels can suffer. Common Liver Conditions are Non Alcoholic Liver Disease (NALD), alcohol related liver disease, Hepatitis A,B,C, Cirrhosis and liver cancer.

There are many things we can do to maintain a healthy liver.

Eat  a liver friendly diet

It includes leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, whole grains , healthy fats and lean proteins.  Whereas foods like refined carbs, excess sugar and salt, fried and processed foods, red meat  are unhealthy for the liver. It causes water retention, insulin resistance and is associated with fat buildup in the liver.

Limit alcohol consumption

Too much alcohol is one of the leading causes of liver disease. The liver metabolizes the alcohol , but excessive intake of alcohol can cause inflammation of the liver leading to scarring, fibrosis and loss of function.

Stay hydrated

Drink plenty of water to help the liver flush out the toxins

Use medications responsibly

Medications used as pain killers like Tylenol in toxic doses can damage the liver causing non alcoholic liver disease. Also get advice from a physician before using any herbal remedies. Researchers found that  herbal remedies like kava, comfrey, or skullcap can damage the liver.

Maintain a healthy weight

Obesity increases the risk of  NALD. It is advised by … that 150-300 minutes of aerobic activity weekly is necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Also studies proved that losing 10- 15% of the body weight will help to reduce the fat content in the liver to an extent.

Reduce stress and sleep well 

Chronic stress and poor sleep is associated with inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, which indirectly affects the liver.

A healthy liver is a life long  investment. The liver is incredibly resilient, but it can only take so much. The earlier we adopt liver-protective habits, the more likely we are to avoid disease down the road.

 References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 Liver Disease Statistics

Mayo Clinic.

 Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

WHO.

 Obesity and Overweight Fact Sheet

Written by: Dr Nimmy Njattumkalayil John