Your liver is an essential organ – it is also amazing, as it has the ability to regenerate. Despite this ability however you still need to take good care of your liver, as liver damage can be fatal. As the liver works hard to remove toxins from the blood, support healthy digestion and regulate metabolism.
Strain on the liver over time can prevent it from working efficiently, and eventually lead to chronic liver conditions, which then severely impact your general health and daily life. Fortunately, however, there are plenty of things that you can do to make sure that you are supporting your liver and helping it to do the best job it can.
One of the main things that can have a detrimental effect on the liver is excessive alcohol consumption. The liver processes all the alcohol that you consume, and this can put a lot of stress on it when you are consuming too much. If you drink very frequently, or you drink heavily in one go, then the liver can be overwhelmed and not manage to keep up with how much alcohol there is to process, which in time can lead to problems.
Cutting back on how much you drink can help your liver, and the NHS recommends having at least 2 drink free days per week.
Your diet is also an important part of your liver health. Fruit and vegetables should be a big part of your diet. Reducing your intake of processed foods and saturated fats also helps, as does eating foods that are rich in antioxidants like berries. Dietary supplements like milk thistle, which you can get from places like this vitortho.co.uk/supplements/categories/a-z-all-supplements/milk-thistle-formula are also good for helping to support the liver. It is a great anti-inflammatory as it contains a compound known as silymarin.
Drinking plenty of water is also helpful to your liver. As well as supporting the liver, it is also good for your digestion, so make sure that you get plenty to drink during the day. Opt for water rather than fizzy drinks or drinks containing caffeine.
Staying active is also important. Regular exercise—even simple activities like walking or cycling—helps maintain a healthy weight and supports good metabolic function, both of which are important for liver health.
