5 Easy Tips For A Healthy Liver

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The liver is regarded as absolutely critical to the health and the human body; this is because it’s more than just a filter for the things we eat and drink. Apart from filtration and detoxification as a function, the liver regulates hormones from different parts of your body, controls the sugar that goes into your blood, stores excess glucose for later use, and makes bile to break down the protein and fats we ingest.

A huge part of our digestive process is dependent on our liver, and it’s wise to make the necessary lifestyle shifts to make sure it keeps working at optimal condition. Below are five simple science-supported tips for a healthy liver.

1. Eat Clean.

Opting for organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible can really take the load off a heavily overworked liver. This is because of many chemicals found in pesticides, that are used on non-organic fruits and vegetables, cause liver damage. ^[1] so going for pesticide-free and free range will make your liver digest nothing but healthy vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

Making sure your food is prepared in a sanitary manner, washed with clean water and cooked with clean ingredients, also protects your liver from possibly contracting hepatitis. Hepatitis is the leading cause of liver damage that leads to scarring, and you can get its different strains from the stool and bodily fluids of infected people. ^[2] Therefore, ensuring that your food is not only organic but also safe to eat and prepared by clean hands helps your liver stay healthy. Washing your own hands regularly is also a way of making sure your liver stays clean.

2. Drink black tea.

Study has been conducted on the protective effects of black tea on the liver. Research showed that drinking black tea protected liver cells from damage caused by pesticides. ^[3]

3. Stop Drinking Alcohol.

Although drinking alcohol has its health benefits, the risks and complications far outweigh them. Prolonged alcohol abuse, characterized by drinking in excess of 148 mL of red wine or its alternative equivalent, leads to severe liver damage. Quit drinking alcohol altogether and your liver will start to heal and repair itself if the damage isn’t too severe. ^[4]

4. Quit Smoking.

Smoking is another habit you’ll have to kick if you want a healthy liver. Along with a great number of health risks and conclusive evidence that smoking is the number 1 cause of cancer, smoking causes liver cells and enzymes to deteriorate, thereby severely restricting it from functionality. ^[5] There are various community health programs designed for quitting smoking, as well as smoking cessation aids that can help you kick the habit.

5. Don’t self-medicate.

Medical health practitioners calculate and deliberate the effects of a medication’s content and dosage before prescribing it to their patients. Without extensive knowledge of a medication’s effects on the body, as well as administering the incorrect dosage, the liver takes on a heavier load than its supposed to. In addition, a higher dosage does not necessarily mean that the drug will take effect at a stronger, more rapid pace. You’re then just needlessly loading your body with a chemical that does nothing but build up in your liver. Make sure to check with your doctor before taking medications, and be sure to take them at the exact dosage that the doctor prescribed. Ask your doctor for any food-drug or drug-to-drug interaction that your medications might have as well since even some herbs and natural remedies have adverse effects when taken with certain medications. ^[6]

More Info:

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