You need your liver to live (original) (raw)

The liver

The liver is your body’s largest internal organ, weighing about 3 to 3.5 pounds (we like to say it’s the size of a rugby ball), and is one of the most important organs in the body. It’s located on your right side, just under your rib cage.

Your liver’s top job is to clean the body, and it’s essential to your life.

Your liver is a complex chemical factory, processing everything you eat, breathe in, and rub on your skin

In fact, the liver performs over 500 daily functions that are vital to life. Here are a few of them:

• Filtering toxins from your blood
• Managing blood clotting
• Making bile to digest fat
• Storing sugar for energy
• Turning extra glucose into glycogen
• Making protein for blood plasma
• Regulating the balance of hormones, including sex hormones, thyroid hormones, cortisone, and other adrenal hormones
• Managing the supply of essential vitamins and minerals, including iron and copper
• Aiding with overall digestion

Your liver is a resilient and determined organ – might we even say it’s the body’s top performer?! – and it will continue work even when it’s two-thirds damaged. It’s also the only organ in the human body that can regenerate itself.

What could go wrong with my liver?

Because of its wide-ranging responsibilities and exposure to the gut, poisons in food, and bacteria, a healthy liver can come under attack from viruses, contaminants, infections, toxic substances, and other factors. Continual exposure to these “attackers” can cause inflammation and destroy liver cells. As it constantly tries to repair itself, the liver gradually gets thicker – or scarred. If your liver is always in “fight mode”, it can eventually stop working so well.

Many conditions can affect the liver’s health. We refer to these conditions as liver diseases. They range from mild to serious and even life-threatening. There are over 100 forms of liver diseases caused by a variety of factors, including viruses, genetics, toxins, transfer of bodily fluids and blood, contaminants, toxic substances like alcohol, and unknown causes.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Liver Disease

Symptoms of liver disease are not always obvious, and they can sometimes be confused with other health problems. In some cases, you may have no symptoms at all, as liver disease develops silently in the early stages. Risk factors vary across the 100 forms of liver diseases.

Here are some common signs and symptoms of liver disease. Please note that this is not an inclusive list.

• A general feeling of unwell and chronic tiredness

• Yellowing of the whites of the eyes and the skin (jaundice)

• Loss of appetite

• Feeling sick (nausea) and vomiting

• Swelling, tenderness, or pain in the liver area (right side of your body)

• Blotchy red palms

• Disturbed sleep patterns

• Tendency to bruise easily and difficulty in stopping small bleeds

• Intensely itchy skin

• Spider-like small blood capillaries on the skin above waist level

• Increased sensitivity to alcohol

• Pale coloured stools or very dark/black tarry stools

• Dark urine

How can I protect my liver?

Many forms of liver disease are preventable and there are many small steps that you can take to reduce your risk and protect those around you. Love your liver – here’s how:

add more colourful vegetables and fruits to your meals

Eating a variety of healthy foods each day can prevent many diseases, including liver diseases.

Canada’s Food Guide recommends the following:

• Have plenty of vegetables and fruits
• Eat protein foods, including plant-based proteins, like beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, lean meats and poultry, eggs, and fish
• Choose whole grain foods like quinoa, whole oats or oatmeal, whole grain brown rice or wild rice
• Make water your drink of choice

Cooking meals at home more often, reading food labels, and limiting processed sugar, highly processed, and packaged foods can also help to protect your liver health.

If you’re living with liver disease, your doctor may suggest that you follow a special meal pattern.

find a form of exercise or movement that you enjoy and practice it daily

Regular exercise can help you manage weight and reduce your risk of preventable forms of liver disease like fatty liver disease. In addition, exercise also protects your body from type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and cancer.

drink coffee regularly if you like

Drinking 2-4 cups of black coffee a day may reduce your risk of preventable liver conditions including fatty liver disease, liver cancer, fibrosis (scar tissue that builds up in the liver), and cirrhosis. It may also slow the progression of liver disease for some.

Black coffee contains compounds and antioxidants that help reduce liver damage. These compounds contain properties that are cancer fighting, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic.

Coffee has been found to be beneficial regardless of how it’s prepared: caffeinated, decaffeinated, drip, French press, filtered, instant, or espresso.

take care while travelling

Prior to your departure, consult your doctor or healthcare provider to see if you are up to date on hepatitis A and B vaccinations.

While you’re away, protect yourself from hepatitis A. Make sure you’re consuming safe drinking water, and that water used for ice cubes, teeth brushing, and washing food is also safe to consume.

practice safe sexual connections

Hepatitis B and C can be transmitted through sex. To lower your risk of contracting, take the following precautions:

• Get vaccinated for hepatitis B
• Use a condom during vaginal, oral, or anal sex
• If you suspect you may have been exposed, get tested for hepatitis B and C

when it comes to alcohol, less is best

Alcohol is a toxin that your liver must process and detoxify from your blood. At 2 standard drinks or less per week, you are likely to avoid alcohol-related health consequences.

If you’re living with liver disease, the safest amount of alcohol is no alcohol.

use medications wisely

Always take prescriptions and non-prescription drugs as needed and only in recommended doses. Discuss herbal remedies, vitamins, and supplements with your doctor or healthcare provider before consuming.

Acetaminophen is a popular over-the-counter pain reliever. Accidental acetaminophen overdoses are responsible for many hospital admissions and can cause severe liver damage. Always read the label, don’t mix with alcohol, and talk to your doctor about taking acetaminophen if you have liver disease.

protect your skin and airways from toxins

Wear gloves and a mask when handling cleaning supplies and ensure your home is well ventilated. Use vinegar and baking soda for a tried and true – more natural – cleaning mix.

quit smoking

You’ve likely heard that smoking is a cause of lung cancer, but did you know that cigarettes can cause hepatocellular carcinoma – more commonly known as liver cancer?

The chemicals found in tobacco smoke can lead to liver cell damage, which leads to scarring of the liver, which is a know risk for liver cancer.

If you smoke, your risk of developing liver cancer is 60% higher than a non-smoker.

Quitting at any age is beneficial to one’s overall health and liver health.

What should I ask my doctor at my next appointment?

Whether you want to learn more about your liver or simply wish to open up a conversation about liver health, it can sometimes be tricky to know what to ask your doctor or healthcare provider. We’ve put together some common questions that you can bring to your next appointment:

general liver health

• How can I prevent liver disease?
• What signs and symptoms of liver disease should I look out for?
• What lifestyle changes can I make to support my liver health (diet, exercise, substance intake)?
• Based on my physical examination and medical history, am I at risk of liver disease?

testing

• Do I qualify for a preventative liver health test like FibroScan?
• What do liver health tests measure?

test results

• How long will it take to receive results?
• What can I do for my liver health while I await results?
• What’s the next course of action based on my results?

diagnosis

• What caused my form of liver disease (e.g. genetics, viral infection, lifestyle behaviors, etc.)?
• Will my liver disease progress?
• How will my liver disease diagnosis impact my overall health? Does it make me susceptible to other diseases like diabetes or Crohn’s and colitis?

Additional Resources