Tips for a healthy liver this holiday season

December 20, 2012

The holiday brings along a wave of festivities and long celebrations. It is that time of the year for numerous family gatherings, parties, long holidays and other events marked by drinking and eating of rich, festive food.

While it is a season to celebrate in the company of family and friends, over-indulging can become a nightmare for your health, particularly your liver.

Common liver health risks

The liver is an organ your body can’t live without. It serves as the body’s food laboratory and filtering system, removing impurities and toxins harmful to the body while combating infections. If your liver suffers inflammation or is damaged in any way, it can interfere with these essential functions and lead to poor health overall.

Lifestyle habits like lack of exercise, poor diet, stress, smoking, and routine alcohol consumption are some of the habits which can hamper the liver’s function.

Lack of exercise can cause fat to accumulate in the liver cells, which can then lead to fatty liver disease (FLD). FLD occurs when fats exceed the 10 per cent of the total weight of the liver. If not treated or managed, the fat accumulation can lead to severe inflammation.

Too much stress can also harm your liver as it impairs blood flow and increases natural killer cells, resulting to liver cell death. A diet that is rich in saturated fat and trans fatty acid, meanwhile, promotes the accumulation of fat in the liver. Excess fat can lead to enlargement of liver cells.

Excessive alcohol consumption is another culprit. Excessive drinking – whether beer or wine – can destroy your liver cells. Drinking everyday for a number of years can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis is the scarring of the liver which can ultimately lead to organ malfunction.

Smoking, while commonly associated with lung diseases, is also damaging to the liver. Some of the toxic chemicals of the cigarettes are extremely harsh on the liver, causing tumours, cancer, and inflammation.

Essential Tips for a Healthy Liver

Fortunately, there are simple ways to mitigate liver health risks. It only takes a few lifestyle modifications:

Eat right

For proper functioning of the liver, you need to take a balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits and proteins. Eat small meals as they can easily be digested and is less of a burden to the liver. Studies have shown the correlation between a diet high in fat and fatty liver, so minimise the intake of fatty foods.

Booze in moderation

Minimise intake or stop drinking alcohol. Too much alcoholic beverages – beer or wine – can destroy your liver cells. If you can’t restrain yourself from drinking, then drink responsibly.

Limit your alcohol intake to 12 oz. of beer or wine cooler, 5 oz. of wine, or 1.5 oz. of 80-proof distilled spirits.

Take medicines as prescribed and do not exceed recommended doses

Even seemingly harmless medicines can damage the liver. If you have diabetes and high blood cholesterol and triglycerides, strictly follow your doctor’s prescribed treatment.

Exercise!

There is good evidence that gradual weight loss coupled with increased exercise will reduce the fat deposits in the liver.

Try aerobics. Since it involves rhythmic and large muscle movements, the increase in the amount of oxygen and the change in breathing pattern actually speeds up the delivery of oxygen to the vital organs, including the liver, helping it function better.

Nutritional supplements as a daily habit

Make it a habit to take supplements which contain polyunsaturated fatty acids, also known as essential phospholipids (EPL), to keep your liver in good shape. Taking liver supplements daily can bring sustained vitality and help you deal with daily stress.

The key to enjoying the holidays to the fullest is ensuring you’re healthy. Throw a cheerful outlook in the mix and you’re sure to have the most wonderful holiday celebration.

This article was contributed by Sanofi – a global and diversified healthcare company specialising in the development and distribution of therapeutic solutions for patients’ needs

Source: YourHealth, AsiaOne

Tags: diet, food