Have you ever wondered why some British singers sound American when they sing? Or why do we call it the middle finger when it isn’t? (Think about it, your thumb is not a finger.) We ponder all kinds of weird stuff, but honestly, when was the last time she thought about his liver? You worry about your heart and your brain, but you rarely worry about the health of your liver, even though it is just as essential to life. Like the appendix or spleen, the liver is just… well, minced liver.
But your liver deserves your attention, even your praise. After your skin, it’s the second largest organ on your body, and it’s a workhorse! Scientists say that it performs 500 functions that are fundamental to your life. It breaks down food, removes toxins from the blood, and removes other medicines from your body. It manages your cholesterol levels, helps your body absorb fat, and regulates hormone levels.
This unsung hero doesn’t get much attention until something goes wrong, like scarring from too much drinking (cirrhosis) or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a symptomless infiltration of fat into the liver often caused by obesity, high triglycerides or LDL cholesterol, or having diabetes. Like type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders, you can reduce your risk of NAFLD and other liver problems by maintaining a healthy body weight, eating healthy, and exercising—the same old healthy living practices you know.
You can protect your liver by avoiding “excess added sugars and alcohol and limiting processed snacks, like pretzels,” says a registered dietitian nutritionist. Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDCES.
“Eat primarily a plant-based diet to get the benefit of insulin-sensitizing and anti-inflammatory compounds. Try to eat fruits or vegetables or both at every meal and snack to get a continuous dose of disease fighters,” Weisenberger continues.
To be even more proactive about your liver health, you can fill your plate often with certain superfoods known to promote a healthy liver, such as:
Both whole grains are good sources of dietary fiber, which has been shown to help people lose weight and create a healthy balance of bacteria in their gut microbiome. The authors of a recent study in nutrients Saying that weight loss achieved by caloric restriction is one of the most effective treatments for NAFLD. Eating high-fiber foods keeps you full longer, which often reduces the number of calories you eat. In addition, the prebiotic fiber stimulates a healthy intestinal microbiota, which reduces inflammation and liver damage. Consuming 7.5 grams or more of insoluble fiber like that found in oats and barley has been shown to improve three different scores of liver fibrosis, a progression of NAFLD, the researchers say.
Try this Roasted Beet and Barley Salad recipe, which is kind to your liver.
“If you want superfoods for liver health, I couldn’t recommend broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, and other cruciferous vegetables,” says the registered dietitian nutritionist. Carley Knowles, RDN, RHP. “Cruciferous vegetables help the body naturally detoxify and protect the liver from damage, while improving its overall function.”
A study by scientists at Texas A&M AgriLife Research suggests that NAFLD can be controlled with a compound called indole found in cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. report in the newspaper hepatology, the researchers found that study participants who were clinically obese had significantly lower levels of indole in their blood than lean subjects. Also, those with lower indole levels had a higher amount of fat in their livers.
“Some foods I recommend for liver health include blueberries and other berries, herbs and spices, leafy greens, broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables,” Weisenberger says. “Each of these foods contain many phytonutrients that improve health and support liver function.”
Researchers in Saudi Arabia believe that blueberries, which are a potent source of antioxidants, could one day be a therapy to control age-related liver disease based on their study of a group of elderly rats that were overweight and had markers of metabolic disease. and liver dysfunction. After four weeks of being fed cranberry extract, the rats’ livers improved.
Even if your doctor tests your liver enzymes and says your liver is healthy, you’ll still want to eat blueberries. See what happens to your body when you eat blueberries every day.
The best thing you can do to protect your liver is to avoid alcohol. Second best: Drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and help your liver work better, says the American Liver Foundation.
“Drinking water will probably also cut down on sugary drinks, which are bad for the liver. Other liver-healthy drinks include tea and coffee,” Weisenberger says.
The most powerful tea to protect the liver is matcha green tea, which contains the highest amount of antioxidant catechins. A meta-analysis of studies published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine concluded that drinking green tea regularly is associated with a lower risk of HCC liver cancer, fatty liver disease, hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. Coffee, including decaffeinated coffee, also reduces the risk of chronic liver disease. Additionally, a meta-analysis published in BMC Public Health in 2021 compared 384,818 coffee drinkers with 109,767 non-coffee drinkers and found that coffee drinkers were 20% less likely to develop chronic liver disease or NAFLD and 49% less likely to die from disease hepatica than non-coffee drinkers.
“Research shows that olive oil improves good cholesterol, which protects you from fatty liver disease,” Knowles says.
According to a 2018 study published in Endocrine, metabolic and immunological disorders: drug targets.