Keeping Your Liver Healthy
Angela Rogers
January 16, 2008
The liver is used by the body to filter out many of the substances it does not need which in turn get excreted. Keeping your liver healthy ensures that this process occurs smoothly. In extreme cases, the liver can shut down causing poisons to build up in the body and the bloodstream leading to death.
The main causes of liver failure are consuming two much alcohol and chronic Hepatitis B and C. (Hepatitis A is not chronic and most people who contract the disease do not end up as carriers, but it too, can cause liver failure if it is not treated when the disease is contracted.)
Liver failure is common in alcoholics and for good liver health you should not drink more than one or two glasses of alcohol a day. A small amount of alcohol is healthy and can have benefits to the heart, but taking in a large amount of adult beverages has adverse affects on the body.
It may seem like the advice on reducing fatty and deep fried foods is given to help prevent every health condition today, but in the case of the liver, an excess of fats leads to many gallbladder disorders including gallstones. Switching many of popular snack foods such as potato chips and small cakes to high fiber foods like popcorn or vegetables not only keeps you regular, but it has the added benefit of keeping the liver in good function.
Diet is not the only thing that can cause the liver to fail. Hepatitis B and C are also common causes. The virus can easily be transferred during the exchange of bodily fluids and is most often contracted during intercourse. Another common high-risk behavior is intravenous drug use. Taking the appropriate precautions during intercourse, such as using protection or engaging in monogamy can reduce your risk, and drug users should not share needles. The most insidious feature of the diseases is that many people carry the virus for years and do not know they have a problem until they develop symptoms. A blood test can determine if you are a carrier, or if you are likely to travel to an area with a high incidence of the disease, you can be vaccinated against either form.
Liver health is important, but if you suspect potential problems watch out for severe abdominal pain, abnormal itchiness, chronic fatigue, nausea, extremely dark urine, pale stools or bloody tar like stools. See a doctor immediately if the last three symptoms are present.
The main causes of liver failure are consuming two much alcohol and chronic Hepatitis B and C. (Hepatitis A is not chronic and most people who contract the disease do not end up as carriers, but it too, can cause liver failure if it is not treated when the disease is contracted.)
Liver failure is common in alcoholics and for good liver health you should not drink more than one or two glasses of alcohol a day. A small amount of alcohol is healthy and can have benefits to the heart, but taking in a large amount of adult beverages has adverse affects on the body.
It may seem like the advice on reducing fatty and deep fried foods is given to help prevent every health condition today, but in the case of the liver, an excess of fats leads to many gallbladder disorders including gallstones. Switching many of popular snack foods such as potato chips and small cakes to high fiber foods like popcorn or vegetables not only keeps you regular, but it has the added benefit of keeping the liver in good function.
Diet is not the only thing that can cause the liver to fail. Hepatitis B and C are also common causes. The virus can easily be transferred during the exchange of bodily fluids and is most often contracted during intercourse. Another common high-risk behavior is intravenous drug use. Taking the appropriate precautions during intercourse, such as using protection or engaging in monogamy can reduce your risk, and drug users should not share needles. The most insidious feature of the diseases is that many people carry the virus for years and do not know they have a problem until they develop symptoms. A blood test can determine if you are a carrier, or if you are likely to travel to an area with a high incidence of the disease, you can be vaccinated against either form.
Liver health is important, but if you suspect potential problems watch out for severe abdominal pain, abnormal itchiness, chronic fatigue, nausea, extremely dark urine, pale stools or bloody tar like stools. See a doctor immediately if the last three symptoms are present.
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