Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
If you don’t love your liver…it could be the end of you.
What’s The Liver For?
The liver is the heaviest internal organ in the body, coming in at 1.6 kilograms. As one of the heavyweights, it covers a lot of complex functions:
Detoxification—the liver receives blood from both the heart and the intestines. It filters blood and clears it of harmful substances like toxins, drugs, and alcohol.
Metabolism—the blood that comes from the digestive system contains nutrients, fats, vitamins, and minerals. The liver sorts and processes them. Carbohydrates, for example, are turned into sugars that can be used by the body for energy.
Storage—the extra sugar and nutrients are stored in the liver for future use.
Hormone production—the liver produces an array of hormones that have different functions in the body. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), angiotensinogen, thrombopoietin, hepcidin, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) are just some of them. They perform important roles and we are always learning something new in research.
Bile production—This is a greenish liquid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Bile helps in the digestion and absorption of food by breaking down fat, and fat-soluble vitamins. It also helps in the elimination of toxins by carrying them out of the liver into the digestive system.
Immunity—the liver produces an array of immune cells that help fight infection in many ways. For example, Kupffer cells help identify and destroy foreign substances. Natural Killer Cells (NKCs) destroy abnormal cells. And antibodies produced by the liver help tag toxins and other pathogens.
The liver does seem to be the “jack-of-all-trades” of the internal organs. With its myriad functions, we should do a good job of taking care of it.
Otherwise, we end up with these conditions…
Common Diseases of the Liver
Before a quick run-down of the most common liver diseases, we need to point out that the liver is one of the most resilient organs in the body. It can take a beating and bounce back as if nothing happened.
The liver cells have the ability to regenerate, meaning, they can replace injured tissue. A liver donor for example can donate part of his liver and live a normal life. The donated tissue will grow into the normal liver in a few weeks, and the original liver will also grow back to normal size.
Liver diseases often come as a result of a long and serious abuse of the organ.
Here are some common ailments:
Hepatitis A, B, and C:
They are 3 different viral infections of the liver.
Hepa A is acquired through contaminated food and water, and close contact with an infected person.
Hepa B and C are acquired through sexual contact, sharing of needles, blood transfusions, or passed down from mother to baby. Many will have no symptoms of the infection. But over time, hepatitis can lead to more serious conditions like cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Cirrhosis
This is the scarring of the liver as a result of long-term damage. Cirrhosis is often preceded by other diseases like hepatitis or Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
The scar tissue prevents the liver from functioning properly which leads to a host of complications, like the buildup of toxins in the blood—which eventually leads to brain disorders and kidney problems.
Cirrhosis can also increase the risk of liver cancer.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
The liver is typically able to break down fats. When the liver is unable to perform this function efficiently, fat accumulates resulting in NAFLD. Obesity, insulin resistance, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, metabolic syndrome, and genetics all play a role in the development of NALD. Each of them has a negative impact on hepatic functions.
Liver cancer
This is when malignant cells grow in the liver tissues. Liver cancer has symptoms like jaundice, swollen abdomen, pain in the upper right abdomen, weight loss, dark urine, and chalky bowel movements. According to the World Health Organization, liver cancer is the third deadliest type of cancer.
How To Love Your Liver
(Many of the tips here point to having a healthy lifestyle. But we’ll talk about them in the context of how they make your liver happy.)
#1 Eat fruits and vegetables. Avoid processed foods.
Fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that help maintain the liver and keep its cells in top working condition. The best compounds that can support your liver are in garlic, turmeric, avocadoes, mushrooms, and beets. Turmeric, for example, helps detoxify heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic from the body.
You should also minimize the intake of processed foods. Because the fewer processed foods you eat, the easier it is for your liver. Processed foods contain unhealthy fats that increase the level of bad cholesterol, which over time, could lead to fatty liver disease.
Added sugars in processed foods can also lead to insulin resistance which may ultimately damage liver cells and impair their functions.
#2 Water is King!
Keep your body well hydrated. Water is the liver’s best friend. It helps flush toxins out of the body. The liver works harder to process toxins and waste products when you are dehydrated.
Water aids in digestion. With proper digestion, the liver’s metabolic workload is not only reduced, but it’s also able to store more of the various nutrients needed by the body for future use.
Alcohol, on the other hand, has a detrimental impact. Too much alcohol can cause liver inflammation and may even lead to alcoholic hepatitis. Heavy drinking also increases the chances of developing fatty liver. It’s the most common condition suffered by heavy and chronic drinkers.
#3 Move it!
Exercise has a positive overall impact on health. It is especially positive for the liver because it increases the quality of blood and oxygen into this vital organ—boosting its functions and allowing it to regenerate healthy liver cells.
Studies have shown that regular exercise can reverse fatty liver. In a time when the incidence of fatty liver is on the rise, exercise becomes extremely important.
You need to watch that weight because obesity brings with it a whole host of medical conditions. For the liver, obesity can lead to Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease (NALD) and can progress to more severe liver complications.
# 4 Believe your doctor and take medications responsibly.
The liver is responsible for metabolizing and eliminating drugs and toxins from the body. Drugs containing chemical compounds not only increase their workload but may even interfere with their efficacy. There are also certain drug interactions that are damaging to the liver. For example, excessive doses of alcohol and acetaminophen (paracetamol) a common pain reliever, have been found to be a toxic combination.
You should take medications in moderation and only as instructed by your physicians. Your doctor knows what interactions are safe and what doses are negligible for your case.
# 5 Say “NO!” to toxins.
In addition to medication and alcohol, individuals may be unknowingly exposed to harmful toxins and chemicals.
Environmental conditions may expose people to heavy metals, pesticides, and pollution. These could be inhaled from the air, drank from the water, or eaten with the food. As mentioned, processed food may contain additives that could harm the liver.
Exposure can also take place at one’s job. Occupational exposure is common for people working in chemical manufacturing or any job that involves plastics and chemicals. For example, a simple dry-cleaning job may, years later, lead to liver cancer, as was the case for female workers in Denmark.
# 6 Practice safe sex.
Sexually transmitted diseases like Hepatitis B and C damage the liver.
It is important to practice safe sex, get tested, and even better, take the Hepa B vaccine.
With these practices, you can show your love for your liver. So that it can keep on faithfully working for you for many years to come.
BloodWorks Lab is one of the country’s leading medical assessment laboratories. We are your one-stop shop for all your blood test needs, as well as medical screenings, including the liver’s Anti-HBS test.
We also offer a range of checkup packages specially designed for clients. We have, for example, the “Senior Citizen’s Checkup” for the elder members of the family.
As a premium testing facility, BloodWorks Labs was the first in the country to introduce the Anti Acetylcholine Receptor (lgG) Antibody Test and the Anti N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor (Anti NMDA Receptor) Antibody Test.
Book your appointment today.
Our branches are in Alabang, Katipunan, and Cebu.