The liver is the organ responsible for more than 500 different functions such as removing toxins, promoting digestion and metabolism. There are several things that can unknowingly cause liver disease: Obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol and many other health conditions. No matter you’re trying to maintain a healthy liver or trying to relieve your liver damage, the following guides can help:
1. Try to avoid alcohol
Alcohol and your liver don’t mix! Drinking too much alcohol can cause serious liver damage and may lead to 3 types of liver disease: fatty liver, cirrhosis and hepatitis. As your liver only can cope with a small amount of alcohol, drink in moderation if you can’t stop drinking totally, you can switch to low-alcohol wine or mix your favorite wine with plain mineral water to limit your alcohol intake.
2. Maintain a healthy weight
Obesity is a mainly cause of a fatty liver, those who are obese have excess amount of fat around the liver and when the body fat makes up to 5% of the liver, then this person has a fatty liver. Try your best to shed pounds and keep a healthy body weight, this will not only help you combat fatty liver disease, but can effectively help you deal with high cholesterol, reduce your risk of cancer as well as heart disease.
3. Limit your salt intake
According to some major health organizations, the recommend sodium intake should be less than 2300 mg a day, and less is better of course. High salt intake is not only lead to high blood pressure, but can cause fatty liver disease by developing water retention in the liver.
4. Quit smoking
Several toxins in cigarette tobacco may increase your risk for liver diseases, including Hepatitis B and C, or even liver cancer. As some toxins from cigarette are extremely harsh on the liver, making it hard for the liver to filter these harmful chemicals out of your body. And when your liver is inflamed, there is a higher chance of getting some liver diseases. Nowadays, there are lots of methods and medications to help you quit smoking, try to find the programs which are suitable for yourself and stop smoking totally.
5. Drink plenty of fluids
All of the organs, including liver, depend on water to work properly, you must drink plenty of water as you lose water through sweat and urine every day, staying hydrated will help the liver to detoxify the system well. Have fresh fruit juices, lemon water or plain water instead of coffee and soda drinks is a wise choice for overall health.
6. Add more good liver cleanse foods into your diet
Your liver is affected by what you ingest, so be mindful about what you consume, try to emphasize the foods that promote health and minimize those that cause damage to your liver. Some great foods that keep your liver healthy are: garlic, green tea, grapefruits, carrots, leafy green vegetables, apples, avocados, olive oil, whole grains, lemons, walnuts, turmeric and cabbage.
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