Health Articles

Posted by Nicole on September 2

Concerned about your liver health? Many people do not realize that their everyday diets and lifestyles are impacting your livers in an adverse way. The first step toward improved liver health may be to stop making some of these mistakes. Following are some recommendations for what to avoid.

1. Drinking more than you should.

Most people probably are aware that one of the surest ways to damage your liver is to drink excessively. But how much is too much? The American Liver Foundation recommends that as a liver patient, you should not exceed one drink a day if you are female or two if you are male.

Many liver patients drink more than this recommended amount without realizing that they are overdoing it. Ideally, you might consider avoiding alcohol intake altogether if your liver is particularly compromised.

2. Eating foods which are rough on your liver—especially sugar.

If you have ever wondered how the liver becomes fatty, it can happen via the intake of too much sugar or high fructose corn syrup. According to WebMD, " Some studies show that sugar can be as damaging to the liver as alcohol, even if you’re not overweight."

3. Overdoing it with vitamin A.

Vitamin A is critical for healthy eyesight, bones, immune function and more. But did you know it is possible to get too much vitamin A and experience toxic effects? The NIH explains, “Higher doses of vitamin A can be toxic, leading to a constellation of signs and symptoms as well as liver injury, jaundice, enlargement of the liver and spleen, portal hypertension and cirrhosis."

So long as you are keeping your vitamin A intake within the safe recommended limits, this is not something you should need to worry about.

4. Taking too much acetaminophen.

One of the most common over-the-counter pain relievers is acetaminophen. Used sparingly, acetaminophen can help you to safely alleviate various forms of discomfort. But if you use acetaminophen in excess, it can damage your liver. Consider looking into alternative options for pain management.

5. Thinking that obesity isn’t a big deal.

If you are overweight, that is a condition which is not conducive to optimum liver function. This is true even if you do not abuse alcohol or make any of the other mistakes on this list for liver health. It's worth it to eat a healthy diet and work out regularly to burn some of that unwanted fat. Your liver will thank you for it.

Along with all of the suggestions above for avoiding mistakes that can compromise liver health, one more thing you can do is take a supplement for liver support. Supplements which may support liver function include milk thistle extract, N-Acetyl L-Cysteine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, dandelion and grapes seed extracts, and Choline Bitartrate.

You can achieve the best results by combining supplementation with a healthy diet and regular exercise. If you make these long-term lifestyle changes, you can protect liver health now and over the years ahead.