7 ways to protect a healthy liver

Limiting alcohol, avoiding fast food, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising daily, and screening for hepatitis B and C will help protect a healthy liver.

The liver is the largest organ in the body, responsible for more than 500 functions such as metabolizing nutrients, neutralizing and eliminating harmful substances.

Currently, some liver diseases are increasing in the community including viral hepatitis, alcoholic fatty liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Signs are fatigue, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, pain in the right abdomen, dark yellow urine, yellow skin and sclera, nosebleeds, bleeding gums, and leg swelling.

Lifestyle changes that can help keep your liver healthy without the need for drug detoxification therapies include:

Limit alcohol consumption

The liver can only process a certain amount of beer and alcohol at a time. If you drink too much over a long period of time, the liver will have to work harder, which will eventually lead to cirrhosis or cancer. Therefore, limiting the use of beer and alcohol is the best way to protect the liver.

Build a balanced diet

Eat plenty of fruits and fiber from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Be sure to get protein for the enzymes that help your body detox naturally.

Avoid fast food

Fast food often contains a lot of fat and carbohydrates, which can easily lead to overweight, obesity and metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

Maintain a healthy weight

Lose weight, maintain a reasonable body mass index, waist circumference below 90 cm in men and below 80 cm in women.

Exercise every day

Exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. In case of cardiovascular or respiratory diseases, exercise according to the instructions of a specialist to ensure safety. Avoid over-exercising as it can aggravate the condition.

Reduce the risk factors that can lead to viral hepatitis

Get vaccinated against hepatitis, do not have unprotected sex with people you do not know. Do not share personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes and razors. Do not share syringes. Avoid eating undercooked food to prevent viral hepatitis transmitted through the digestive tract.

Regular check-ups if you have chronic liver disease

Patients with chronic hepatitis B, C, alcoholic liver disease, and cirrhosis need to have regular check-ups to screen for liver cancer. If liver cancer is detected and treated early, it will bring good results.

In particular, metabolic syndrome is on the rise in developing countries. This is one of the causes of chronic liver disease, called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This disease is often found in people with diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, overweight, abdominal fat, lipid metabolism disorders, and gout.

Therefore, to prevent it, it is necessary to properly treat underlying cardiovascular and diabetic diseases according to the prescription of a specialist.

In addition, implement a suitable diet for each disease (reduce salty food in people with high blood pressure, limit sweet food, eat many small meals in diabetic patients, limit eating foods high in animal protein and animal organs in gout patients).

Implement a reasonable lifestyle and exercise regimen according to each specialized disease, with the aim of maintaining a reasonable weight and reducing belly fat.

When to see a doctor?

People should see a doctor if they have symptoms of liver disease or suspect they have been infected with hepatitis B or C. Most people do not have symptoms in the early stages of liver disease. During regular check-ups, doctors can detect early signs of liver damage for prevention and treatment.

Especially in people with a family history of chronic liver disease or high risk factors, alcohol abuse, exposure to chemicals toxic to the liver, it is necessary to go to the doctor for timely advice and treatment.

When there are signs such as jaundice, yellow eyes, dark urine, fatigue, you need to see a doctor immediately and get the right treatment. Do not arbitrarily use drugs of unknown origin such as traditional medicine, oriental medicine, unapproved herbs or functional foods without the guidance of a doctor.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan

Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Treatment, 108 Central Military Hospital

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