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The liver is a very important organ of vertebrates. It performs various biological functions in the body which include the synthesis of biochemicals and the proteins which are important for the digestion and the growth of the body, it performs the detoxification process. Foods that damage your liver are alcohol, fried foods, processed meat, and too much salt.
Its main function is to produce bile juice and bilirubin. There are many foods that damage your liver that food including high fructose corn syrup and too much-refined sugar.
These types of foods damage the liver health by damaging the liver cells and can cause various liver diseases. They can also cause liver cancer1. To maintain good liver health we have to take a good and healthy diet.
We have to eat only the foods which will maintain the health and functioning of the liver and maintain the gut health2. There are many foods that damage your liver are the food which leads to fat buildup can not be good for the liver and it will limit the liver work. Too much fat or too much alcohol will damage the liver.
Other than it we have to eat good and healthy foods like unsaturated fats, olive oils, avocado, and fruits which will maintain our health and our liver will also function properly. Healthy eating will protect the body from diseases.
Liver
It performs the job of detoxification in the body. All the blood of our body will reach the liver after passing through the stomach and intestine.
As the blood reaches the liver it starts cleaning the blood. The healthy nutrients of the blood will remain in the blood and the waste material is excreted from here and sent to further processing.
It produces some of the bile which is needed in the breakdown of fats. The liver cells also perform the function of breaking down several complex molecules into small molecules in the digestive system.
Sometimes, the liver is damaged due to various foods. The liver disease is tested by the liver function tests3. The liver function tests tell whether the disease is chronic or not.
There are various liver diseases that can damage your liver like liver cirrhosis and alcoholic and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. There are several medications that are provided for these diseases. there are various foods that make the liver healthy.
Important Points To Know About Liver
Here, is the functioning of the liver what foods are food for the liver, which foods will damage your liver, diseases related to the liver, and the foundations which will spread awareness about them all are discussed below:
1. Function Of Liver
The liver performs a lot of functions in the human body. The liver secretes bile which helps in the break down of the fatty acids or fats in the small intestine.
It produces cholesterol and some specific proteins, which help carry the fat through the body and excrete the toxins and waste products.
It helps in the blood clotting factor4. As the blood is coagulated due to the vitamin K which is absorbed in the body only because of bile and that bile is secreted by the liver. Hence the blood coagulation is also dependent upon the liver.
It also helps in removing the toxins and the waste of drugs from our bodies. It also helps the immune system by producing some immune factors in the body which will fight against the infection and protect our body from any kind of infections.
2. Good Food For Liver
There are various foods that are good for the liver and help the liver to remain healthy and perform its functions well. These foods lower disease risk. The person should always choose a healthy diet.
The good foods for your liver are fruits and leafy vegetables, dairy products which contain a lot of calcium, salmon, lean proteins, avocado oil, high-fiber whole grain, olive oil, green tea, berries, and fish oil.
These all foods have their own benefits. They help in decreasing liver inflammation, they help in reducing fats, improving the lipid content, and maintaining it in the normal range.
They maintain the blood sugar level or blood cholesterol level of the body. They also maintain the level of triglycerides, HDL, and LDL in the blood.
They control insulin resistance and oxidative stress. These will reduce inflammation. These are the foods that are necessary for a healthy liver. These foods maintain the overall health of the person.
3. Foods That Damage Your Liver
There are certain foods that will cause liver damage. The causes various liver diseases. The fat stored in your body is very harmful. These bad foods for your liver are:
3.01. Alcohol
Consuming alcoholic beverages daily or regularly will damage your liver. By consuming alcohol regularly the liver inflammation starts and then it causes irreversible damage to the liver which is not easily treated and is known as cirrhosis.
Sometimes consuming more alcohol consumption leads to complete damage to the liver and total loss of its functions. The limit to drinking alcohol should be only one drink daily.
3.02. Fried Foods
Fried foods like french fries and chicken fingers contain a high amount of saturated fat. Saturated fat is very tough to digest and it impairs the liver to do its functions. These are one of those foods that damage your liver.
After some time the inflammation starts and which ultimately leads to irreversible damage to the liver. It may cause cirrhosis and many other liver diseases.
3.03. Processed Meats
Processed meats contain a very high amount of saturated fats5. The foods like hot dogs, bacon, salami, and fatty fish lead to liver damage over a particular time period. These are one of those foods that damage your liver.
In starting it will not cause many problems but with time the liver inflammation starts which will lead to various liver diseases.
3.04. Sugary Foods
The added sugar provides no nutrients to the body so the foods like soft drinks and soda will only damage our body. These are one of those foods that damage your liver. The sugar is converted along with time and this fat will be deposited in the body. It ultimately leads to fatty liver disease.
3.05. Too Much Salt Intake
Eating too much salt in the diet will also damage your liver. Because of eating so much salt, the liver will undergo some changes. These are one of those foods that damage your liver.
These changes will lead to cell death and also reduces cell division. So the new cells are not able to form in the liver. This problem will ultimately lead to liver fibrosis.
3.06. Trans Fat
The intake of a high amount of trans fat in the body will damage the liver and can cause various fatty liver diseases. These are those foods that damage your liver. Other than liver the trans fats will also increase the risk factors for heart diseases and heart strokes and raise blood pressure.
3.07. Fatty Foods
Fatty foods are very difficult to digest. The liver consumes more time to digest them and these foods need more effort to digest. These are those foods that damage your liver.
It will increase the inflammation in the liver and the level of total cholesterol in the body. It also leads to some heart diseases along with fatty liver disease. This food will lead to weight gain.
4. Liver Diseases
There are various liver diseases that are observed in the patients due to unhealthy lifestyles, lack of exercise and workout, and various other reasons. These diseases are caused by the foods that damage your liver and when the liver is damaged the liver diseases are easily caused.
There are some general symptoms of liver disease which shows us that it might be due to liver damage or disorder. These symptoms are: yellowish color got deposited in the eyes and the nails, black stool, inflammation in the liver, brain issues, and sleeping disorders. Some common liver diseases are discussed here:
4.01. Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a very common liver disease. Sometimes, it is caused by a virus then which is known as viral hepatitis. In hepatitis the liver got damaged, inflammation starts in the liver and it is not able to function properly. This disease is caused due to the foods that damage your liver. There are five types of hepatitis observed in the patients.
- Hepatitis A: It spreads through the intake of contaminated food and water. There are proper medications and treatments available for this disease. It is caused due to the foods that damage your liver.
- Hepatitis B: It is viral hepatitis that is caused due to viral infection. It spreads through blood or semen. If it is diagnosed earlier then there are fewer complications in the treatment.
- Hepatitis C: This disease can be acute or chronic and it spreads through contact with blood if you came in contact with the blood of a patient with hepatitis c then you will be suffering from the same disease. The symptoms of this disease are not observed in the early stage.
- Hepatitis D: It is a complicated form of hepatitis. It can be chronic or acute. Proper medications are available but the medications can be started in the early stages.
- Hepatitis E: It is caused by contaminated water. It can easily be treated without any complications.
4.02. Fatty Liver Disease
The build-up and the storage of fat in the body will lead to fatty liver disease6. These are diseases that are caused due to the consumption of foods that damage your liver. There are majorly two types of fatty liver disease:
- Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
This is a liver disease that is caused by a high amount of alcohol consumption. The liver will try to break the alcohol as much as it can do, and remove the alcohol from the body.
But the breakdown of alcohol leads to the generation of some harmful substances. These substances will weaken the immune system of the body.
It will also damage the cells of the liver and increases the inflammation in the liver. This all will ultimately lead to cirrhosis. It is a disease caused by alcohol and alcohol-related foods that damage your liver.
- Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is caused due to fat deposition. It can cause inflammation in the liver and damage the cells of the liver. This ultimately leads to fibrosis. It is a disease that is caused due to fat-rich food products which are foods that damage your liver.
4.03. Bile Duct Disease
In some cases, the bile duct of the liver got damaged. It may be due to the gall stones also. It will cause damage to the cells of the liver which is caused due to the foods that damage your liver.
There are various symptoms that can be observed during this disease such as dark urine, pale-colored stools, jaundice, abdominal pain, and fever.
4.04. Auto-Immune Disease
It is the condition when the immune system of your body will kill the healthy cells of the body. It will cause several problems such as primary sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis, and primary biliary cirrhosis.
These all will cause cirrhosis and irreversible damage to the liver and the liver will completely lose its functions. These diseases are caused due to immune system and these are enhanced by the foods that damage your liver.
4.05. Genetic Conditions
There are various genetic conditions that lead to an unhealthy liver. These are the diseases that are inherited by the parents in the children. In this condition, you will get this disease even if you are not eating the foods that damage your liver.
4.06. Cancer
Liver cancer is a disease that is developed in the liver by uncontrolled liver cell multiplication. The common type of liver cancer which is seen is hepatocellular carcinoma. It starts due to the consumption of foods that damage your liver.
Cancer starts with a single tumor. There are chemotherapies and some other medications available for cancer and also there are cancer prevention measures available but it is not assured that it would be completely treated.
4.07. Cirrhosis
It is a chronic liver disease. The damage caused to the liver due to cirrhosis is irreversible. It causes complete damage to the liver and total loss of functions and its main reason is the intake of foods that damage your liver. It leads to scarring and the failure of the liver.
4.08. Liver Failure
When the liver is damaged badly and the functioning is complete loss during any disease or damage. It is sometimes the acute failure of the liver but in some cases, the liver is completely damaged and requires the transplantation of the organ. The main cause is the consumption of foods that damage your liver.
5. American Liver Foundation
The American liver foundation researched a lot about liver disease and the prevention of these diseases. The research suggests that there are a lot of prevention measures such as the foods that damage your liver are avoided and start eating a balanced diet, avoiding smoking and alcohol consumption, maintaining the proper body composition, and maintaining a healthy weight.
There are other foods which have to be consumed by you to maintain a healthy diet. It includes healthy fats, green tea, and garlic powder consumption is also useful as it helps in reducing the stored fat. The consumption of antioxidants called polyphenols will also help as it is very beneficial for lowering the injuries or damages caused by alcohol. Stop eating the worst foods.
Final Note
The liver is a very important organ of the body which plays a vital role in performing the various functions of the body. Sometimes the liver got damaged and is affected by several diseases and disorders. Foods that damage your liver are processed meat, alcohol, and fried foods.
It may be due to genetic conditions or the worst foods which cause fat build-up in the body. We have to maintain liver health. There are various placebo-controlled trials for many diseases.
There are foods preferred by wellness professionals and the world journal on the basis of various research which we have to consume daily. There are food labels present on every food item consumed the food after looking at the labels. Foods that damage your liver can be observed through that labels.
The food groups which we have to consume are olive oil, unsaturated fat, vegetables, nut butter, and fruits. These will reduce fatty liver disease. And limit foods that contain fats like fatty fish, and cured meats.
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- Gowda, Shivaraj, et al. “A review on laboratory liver function tests.” The Pan african medical journal 3 (2009). ↩︎
- Orlova, N. A., et al. “Blood clotting factor VIII: from evolution to therapy.” Acta Naturae (англоязычная версия) 5.2 (17) (2013): 19-39. ↩︎
- German, J. Bruce, and Cora J. Dillard. “Saturated fats: what dietary intake?.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 80.3 (2004): 550-559. ↩︎
- De Zeng, Min, et al. “Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases.” Journal of digestive diseases 9.2 (2008): 108-112. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology
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