These 6 Surprising Things Can Damage Your Liver

When it comes to prevention of diseases, people do not usually pay a lot of attention to the liver, until something goes wrong.

Still, you need to remember that the liver is one of the most important body organs, as it is responsible for filtering the blood from different toxins and chemicals that come from the digestive tract. If the liver did not function properly, many health problems may occur. Here are six important things you should be careful with if you want to maintain the health of your liver.

• alcohol

The first one among the ingredients that cause harm to our liver is the alcohol. Everyone is familiar to the fact that excess drinking can damage the liver, but do you know how much is too much? One does not have to be a seasoned alcoholic to overdo it with the alcohol. Excessive drinking for prolonged period of time will surely deteriorate your liver.

Of course, this does not have to mean that you need to completely stop drinking alcohol for good. You just need to practice a greater control over the quantity of the alcohol consumed. You know the old one – moderation is the key to everything.

• sugar

This is just one more of the reasons for you to get rid of the sugary drinks and foods that contain added sugars from your diet. Excess consumption of sugar is an enemy to your health on numerous levels it nearly hurts when you only think of it. Research has shown that drinking a lot of soft drinks is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Sugar, especially fructose, is the substance from which your liver produces fat. If you consume too much refined sugar and high-fructose foods on a regular basis, you will create a damaging fatty buildup in the liver.

• being overweight

Did you know that cirrhosis is frequently a result of being overweight? If you have too much body fat, it can accumulate in your liver cells and make your liver swell. This contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, as well as hardening and scarring the liver tissue.

By consuming the appropriate type of food, adjusted to the nutrition needs and lifestyle, you can get a long way in terms of health and fat loss. By consuming foods high in trans fat, the bad type of fat, found in nearly all processed foods (listed as ‘partially hydrogenated’ on the back of the product), you will get problems with your weight and health in general. You can always opt for a healthier lifestyle and lose several extra pounds and thus prevent liver disease and numerous other disorders from occurring.

• certain supplements

Consumption of too much iron supplement can be harmful for the liver and it raises the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. This is due to the fact that the body has no other way of getting rid of the excess iron. Moreover, there are numerous herbal remedies, including Chinese ginseng, kombucha tea, kava kava, and barberry that can be pretty toxic to the liver. Remember to consult your doctor before you start consuming a supplement and never exaggerate with the dosage of the supplement itself.

• vitamin A

This vitamin is pretty significant when it comes to the proper body functioning, especially when it comes to maintaining a healthy immune system, vision, and skin. Make sure you get enough of vitamin A through a regular diet that includes a lot of eggs, oily fish and fresh fruits and vegetables on the daily menu. Eating liver will also help you get the vitamin A you need, you just need to be careful not to exaggerate with its consumption in order to avoid excess intake of vitamin A. it is recommended that you only consume liver once a week.

Also, be careful when consuming supplements that contain vitamin A, for the same reason. Taking in too much vitamin A can lead to an increased risk of liver and bone damage.

• acetaminophen

The drug acetaminophen is present in the majority of the painkillers. This substance is a potent pain reliever and a fever reducer that can be pretty toxic for the liver. According to an FDA statement, doctors should not prescribe it in doses higher than 325 mg, even though even lower doses are risky in the long-term.

What is the major problem when people take multiple drugs that contain acetamiphen without being aware of it? The thing is, it can lead to overdose with pretty serious consequences like acute liver failure. Thus, it is pretty important for you to avoid making up your own combinations of pain relievers without consulting your doctor first.

• hepatitis C

This virus can infect the liver and it you do not treat it, it can lead to long-term and possibly life-threatening damage to the liver such as cirrhosis and liver failure. Hepatitis C is most frequently transmitted by sharing un-sterilized needles when injecting drugs, but the infection can also be transmitted by sharing razors and toothbrushes, as well as via unprotected sex sometimes.

If you doubt that you might be at risk, get tested as soon as possible. When in its early stage, this infection can be highly treatable thanks to the latest technology and medications.

Do not forget that a healthy diet and regular exercising are not always sufficient for your liver to function well – you should also try to limit the amount of alcohol and sugar you take in and be careful with your medications.

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