How to protect your liver when drinking a lot of alcohol

I am a businessman, often drinking alcohol to entertain guests. I know that alcoholic drinks are not good, but because of work, it is unavoidable. How can I protect my liver when drinking alcohol? (Hoang Hai, Tay Ninh)

Reply:

Alcoholic liver disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the world. When alcohol enters the body, 10% of the alcohol is excreted through urine, sweat, and breath; 90% reaches the liver, where it is processed and detoxified by liver cells before being excreted.

People who drink too much alcohol, the liver does not produce enough detoxifying enzymes, causing alcohol to accumulate in the body, activating kupffer cells (macrophages in the liver sinus) to overwork, producing many inflammatory substances such as TNF-α, TGF-β and Interleukin... This is the cause of liver cell destruction, leading to dangerous diseases such as fatty liver, hepatitis, increased liver enzymes, cirrhosis, liver cancer.

Alcohol in beer and wine affects Kupffer cells, disrupting fat oxidation, increasing accumulation, reducing fat lysis, causing fatty liver cells.

Liver disease often progresses silently, with no obvious symptoms until the liver is severely damaged. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults drink alcohol in moderation. Men should drink no more than two units of alcohol a day and women one unit of alcohol a day. Two units of alcohol are equivalent to three-quarters of a 330ml can of beer (5%); a 100ml glass of wine (13.5%) or a 30ml shot of spirits (40%).

Limiting alcohol is the first thing doctors recommend. In your case, because of the nature of your job, you must drink alcohol regularly, so you should apply the following methods to help reduce toxins, increase the ability to resist toxins, protect the liver, and reduce the risk of hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.

Before going to the drinking table, you should have a light meal such as bread, butter, cheese, milk or drink a glass of water. This will help slow down the absorption of beer, reduce the formation of acetaldehyde during the liver's metabolism of alcohol, and prevent the liver from being overloaded.

Men should have a light snack before drinking to help slow down the absorption of alcohol. Photo: Freepik

While drinking alcohol, you should choose snacks rich in vitamins (C, B1, B6) found in eggs, fish, vegetables (green vegetables, tomatoes, bitter melon...) to limit metabolic disorders, helping to reduce fatigue and lethargy. Drinking plenty of water alternately when drinking beer (a ratio of four water to one wine or two water to one beer) helps limit the massive attack of acetaldehyde on the liver, causing liver damage.

Talking a lot can push a significant amount of alcohol out through the breath. Do not drink alcohol with soft drinks, because the carbon dioxide in carbonated soft drinks helps alcohol penetrate the stomach lining faster than normal, making you quickly drunk, tired, and have a headache.

You should let your body rest, drink a glass of hot lemon ginger water without sugar and a little salt after drinking alcohol. Some foods such as tapioca starch with a little salt, eat thin porridge, thin soup, celery juice... help reduce the amount of alcohol in the body and prevent colds.

After drinking, you should not drink coffee to avoid nervous tension, affecting sleep, causing exhaustion, digestive disorders or acute liver damage. A scientific and balanced daily work, rest, nutrition and exercise regimen will also help you improve your liver health.

You should have regular health check-ups and use safe, scientifically proven natural essences to enhance and strengthen liver function if you have to drink alcohol regularly.

Specialist Doctor I Hoang Dinh Thanh
Center for Endoscopy and Digestive Endoscopic Surgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

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