The liver is an essential organ for the body that does not get the credit it deserves. However, day and night, it works incessantly, performing key tasks for your well-being. The liver is responsible for the production of proteins, cholesterol and bile. In addition, it breaks down food and toxins, fights infections, stores vitamins and carbohydrates, and filters harmful substances from the blood. Bottom line, you can't live without it! Therefore, it is crucial to take care of it to maintain good health. Learn more about how you can keep your liver healthy.
Avoid excess alcohol
When you drink alcohol, the liver stops doing other functions in order to break down the alcohol and eliminate it from the blood. If you overdo it, more than one drink a day for women, two a day for men, it affects the organ and could damage it. Over time, this often leads to a “fatty liver,” an early sign of disease. It could also cause bad bacteria to grow in the intestine that can reach the liver and cause damage. (1)
Do exercises daily
Exercising can help keep your body mass index at an appropriate level and thus protect you against fatty liver disease. In addition, exercise improves insulin function and burns triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood.(2). We recommend that you exercise for at least 20 minutes daily.
Eat healthy fats
Eating foods rich in healthy fats helps reduce inflammation and supports a healthy liver. Fat buildup in the liver is part of the first stage of liver disease. Studies show that consuming healthy fats, such as olive oil, helps decrease fat levels in the liver, increase blood flow, and improve liver enzyme levels. Foods like avocado, olive oil, salmon, and walnuts are excellent sources of these types of fats.
Eat a balanced diet
Having a balanced diet means adding more fruits and vegetables of all the colors of the rainbow. This helps ensure that you receive all the nutrients and fiber your body needs. Vegetables, such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts, can help increase the liver's natural detoxifying enzymes, protect it from damage, and improve liver enzyme levels in the blood. On the other hand, avoid refined carbohydrates, such as donuts, bread and sweets, to prevent fat deposition in the liver. In short, by having a healthy weight, you help reduce the chances of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.(3). To make this task easier we recommend our system Entalla, which brings together all the necessary tools to achieve your ideal weight and focus your diet on products that support a healthy liver.
Incorporating these tips into your routine is a natural and simple way to help the liver function optimally. Remember that it is important to carry out regular check-ups to be able to monitor that everything is fine with our health and see what aspects we can improve.
Let's be healthier, together.
Your team Santo Remedio.
References:
- Jürgen Rehm, Benjamin Taylor, Satya Mohapatra, Hyacinth Irving, Dolly Baliunas, Jayadeep Patra, Michael Roerecke. Alcohol as a risk factor for liver cirrhosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2010 Jul;29(4):437-45. doi: 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2009.00153.x. URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20636661/
- Dirk J. van der Windt, Vikas Sud, Hongji Zhang, Allan Tsung, and Hai Huang. The Effects of Physical Exercise on Fatty Liver Disease. 2018; 18(2): 89–Published online 2018 May 18. doi:10.3727/105221617X15124844266408 URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5954622/#:~:text=In%20the%20liver%2C%20exercise%20increases,to%20improve%20fatty%20liver%20disease.
- Genoveva Berná, Manuel Romero-Gomez. The role of nutrition in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Pathophysiology and management. 2020 Feb;40 Suppl 1:102-108. doi: 10.1111/liv.14360. URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32077594/
