Protect Your Liver, Protect You!

Your Liver is the 2^nd largest organ and one of the most hardworking organs of the body. It is about the size of a football! weighing about 1.5 kg. Your liver can be found in the upper right part of the abdomen just under the rib cage. The liver is very essential for the total wellbeing of a human. Do you know that you can survive only one or two days if it stops working? The fact is that if the liver fails, your body will fail, too!!

The liver with the assistance of a very vital substance called the bile is responsible for the following functions:

• Elimination of waste products, drugs, and other poisonous substances from the blood,
• Digestion and absorption essential nutrients.
• Digestion and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins such as Vit A,D, E and K in the small intestine.
• Storage of vitamins, sugar and iron which helps give your body energy.
• Control of production and removal of cholesterol.
• Aids clotting which helps to stop excessive bleeding after cuts or injuries. –
• Produces immune factors which removes bacteria from the bloodstream and protects the body from infection.

However, some common activities could lead to the dysfunction and damage of this very vital organ. Luckily, the liver has the ability to replace damaged tissue with new cells except if complications occur. Activities that lead to the dysfunction and/or damage of the liver are:

• Overconsumption of alcohol- A little bit of wine…cocktail at a party….beer with the guys… yes! Everyone loves a little bit of alcohol but Alcohol is the most common and prevalent cause of liver damage. The liver can only tolerate certain amounts for a limited period of time. But over consumption and long term drinking of alcohol can result to scarring and inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) which could eventually damage the liver leading to several complications.

• Smoking - Although Cigarette smoking does not affect the liver directly, poisonous chemicals present in cigarette smoke has several undesirable effects on the liver. Research has shown that smoking impairs the liver’s ability to process medications, alcohol, and other toxins and remove them from the body, causing irreversible damage to the liver cells.

• Inappropriate use of medications and herbal preparations . - According to Penn State’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, there are over 800 drugs that can cause liver disease. These drugs are used to treat several conditions, including cancer, high cholesterol, HIV and other infections. The most common drug which causes liver damage is Paracetamol. When taken in high doses, it results to the damage of liver cells. Herbal preparations despite being “natural” can be very toxic to the liver. Herbs like chaparral, comfrey tea, kava, skullcap, and yohimbe are known to cause liver damage.

• High salt intake:High salt intake results to an increase blood pressure, it could also cause swelling of the liver and fatty liver disease due to fluid retention in the liver.

Other factors that lead to liver damage or dysfunction include:

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Exposure to pesticides and heavy metals.
• Infections and illnesses such as
• Viral hepatitis A, B and C and autoimmune hepatitis, causing inflammation of liver which could lead to hardening and scarring of liver tissue if untreated properly.
• Intestinal infections caused by the yeast Candida.

Now that we know what can damage your liver, here are tips of things to do to protect your liver!

• Lose weight!
• Eat healthy, lose the carbs!
• Avoid or minimise the consumption of alcohol
• Quit smoking
• Avoid drugs like Pain relievers (paracetamol), antibiotics, and other drugs that are known to cause liver damage.
• Detox! - Help lighten your liver’s toxic load by eating lots of fruits and vegetables, avoid processed foods.
• Stay active- Exercise regularly
• Drink decaffeinated Coffee- Coffee drinking has been shown to protect the liver by optimizing the flow of bile.
• Relax and recharge.