Metabolic Health
How to Maintain a Strong and Healthy Liver
If you paid attention to biology lessons in school, you'd remember reading that the liver is the only human organ with regenerative abilities. Read on to learn how to keep your liver healthy.
Sep 4, 2024
•4 min read
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Science tells us that your liver works tirelessly to keep you alive. This guide will help you return the favour. Maintaining liver health requires a three-pronged approach — consuming foods good for the liver, avoiding alcohol consumption, and staying physically active.
What does your liver do?
This wedge-shaped organ located in your upper abdominal region is a real workhorse, given the large number of functions it performs.
Key functions include:
- Detoxing your body by filtering your blood
- Producing bile, a fluid that transports waste products and aids the small intestine in breaking down fats and cholesterol
- Storing carbohydrates to help the body generate energy as well as storing vitamins and minerals
- Strengthening the body’s immune system by producing various immune factors
- Producing proteins for blood clotting and albumin
How to maintain a healthy liver
Consume foods good for the liver
Your diet goes a long way in keeping your liver in good shape. Dr Vaibhav Somani, a hepatologist, recommends aiming for an “overall healthy diet which has less animal protein, trans fats, and sugars.”
Load your dish with beneficial liver foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins to obtain dietary fibre, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
Stay away from carbonated beverages such as diet soda. A 2023 study demonstrates a close relationship between excess consumption of sodas and developing Metabolic dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease, previously known as Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
Aim for an overall healthy diet which has less animal protein, trans fats, and sugars to keep your liver in good shape.
Dr Vaibhav Somani, a hepatologist
Consume alcohol responsibly
Your liver metabolises alcohol with enzymes that break it down into smaller compounds.
The byproduct known as acetaldehyde results in significant liver damage despite its short lifespan. Consistent alcohol consumption leads to fat accumulation and inflammation in your liver, increasing the risk of alcoholic fatty liver disease, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and potentially liver failure.
As Dr Sonal Asthana from Aster Integrated Liver Care (ILC) Group explains, “The liver has remarkable regenerative capabilities if alcohol use is stopped before severe damage occurs. Advanced damage may be irreversible and require a liver transplant.”
Pop medications mindfully
OTC medications that help address fever and mild to moderate pain are a common purchase. While occasional consumption is fine, don’t make it a habit. Excessive usage of certain medications can “damage the liver by harming vital structural connections between adjacent cells in the organ”, as a 2024 study by the University of Edinburgh reveals. Make sure to always consult your doctor before self-diagnosing.
Did You Know?
Consistent alcohol consumption leads to fat accumulation and inflammation in your liver, increasing the risk of alcoholic fatty liver disease, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and potentially liver failure.
Get moving
Any physical activity is good for your body, including your liver. Research indicates that engaging in moderate-intensity physical activity for a minimum of 150 minutes weekly can enhance the condition of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diminish inflammation, regardless of weight loss. Exercise also accelerates fatty acid oxidation (the process through which your cells create energy for the body) and prevents the damage of liver cells.
Practice safe sex
Diseases such as hepatitis B and C are transmitted through unprotected sex. These viral infections cause an inflamed liver.
Hepatitis B may result in a chronic liver infection, leading to liver cirrhosis or liver cancer. Chronic hepatitis C also damages the liver, resulting in cirrhosis or liver failure. Vaccines prevent hepatitis B, but currently, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Speak to your doctor to understand the best course of action for your unique health requirements.
Did You know?
Diseases such as hepatitis B and C are transmitted through unprotected sex.
Foods that your liver loves
Opt for foods good for the liver to prevent disruptions in your metabolic system.
Consuming a well-balanced diet that’s rich in fibre, include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and high-quality protein is the best liver food you can lay your hands on.
Garlic | Research shows that regular garlic consumption can lower the risk of developing liver cancer and reduce fat accumulation in the liver. |
Green tea | Helpful in reducing liver enzyme levels, making it one of the best foods good for fatty liver |
Nuts | Unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, especially in walnuts, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, lowering your risk for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. |
Olive oil | Known as the ‘liquid gold’ of Mediterranean cuisine, it is a food that’s good for your liver thanks to fatty acids |
Fatty fish | Salmon, hilsa, rohu, and sardines are excellent liver foods as they contain healthy fats called omega-3. |
Cruciferous vegetables | Cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and cabbage are considered foods good for the liver as they aid in detoxing blood. |
Coffee | Studies indicate that consuming about 1-3 cups of coffee daily can slow down the progression of conditions such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, Hepatitis B and C, and non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease. |
Liver cleansing myths and facts
Myth: You need to follow a detox diet to ‘cleanse your liver’
Your liver self-cleanses provided you consume foods good for it and maintain a good lifestyle. There’s no scientific evidence to suggest that detox diets effectively cleanse your liver, and crash diets cannot substitute healthy liver food.
Myth: Liver cleanses fix existing liver damage
Only medical interventions prescribed by a qualified doctor can address liver damage issues, not cleanses.
Quick Tip
Studies indicate that consuming about 1-3 cups of coffee daily can slow down the progression of conditions such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, Hepatitis B and C, and non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease.
Show your liver some love
Hope these healthy liver tips inspire you to love your liver. Survival is impossible without a functioning liver!
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What are the early signs of liver problems?
“Common early symptoms are fatigue, tiredness, bloating, and weight loss. More advanced liver disease can present with jaundice, fluid accumulation in the belly, bleeding, or mental confusion. However, due to profound regenerative capacity, most liver problems do not present earlier,’” observes Dr Asthana.
2) Can liver damage be reversed?
“Early liver damage can be reversed by reversing the inciting causes. For example, damage due to alcohol intake may improve by stopping alcohol consumption; fatty liver can partially reverse with weight loss. Hepatitis B- and C-related liver damage can be halted with correct antiviral drugs. Liver damage is difficult to reverse once fibrosis sets in,” notes Dr Asthana.
3) Is coffee good for the liver?
While not a medication, research shows that coffee can reduce the risk of liver cancer and fibrosis, and hinder hepatitis C virus replication.
4) How does alcohol affect the liver?
“Alcohol can cause fat accumulation, inflammation (alcoholic hepatitis), and scarring (cirrhosis). The extent of liver damage typically depends on the amount and duration of alcohol consumption,” explains Dr Asthana.
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