Liver Health: What Is Good and Bad for Your Liver

Author: Vivian Benjamin

​An Overview of the Liver
The role of your liver is complex and if there is damage in the liver, it will affect all bodily systems. Liver disorders are common around the world. The primary causes of damage to the liver are poor diet, viral infections, and exposure to toxic substances such as drugs and alcohol.



The liver is the largest gland in the body weighing approximately 1.8kg in men and 1.4kg in women. It is located behind the ribs in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity. Its upper part is curved to fit under the diaphragm surface. The liver can be considered a chemical factory that stores, manufactures, excretes, and alters a huge amount of substance required in metabolism.



The location of the liver makes it easier for it to function, as it receives nutrient-rich blood directly from the gastrointestinal tract. After receiving the nutrients, it then either stores them or transforms them into chemicals needed for metabolism.  




Functions of the liver include:
1. Carbohydrate metabolism
The liver has an important role in maintaining plasma glucose levels. After a meal, the carbohydrate is digested and broken down into glucose. The glucose is then converted to glycogen, which is stored in the hepatocytes (cells in the liver). In the same way, when the body needs sugar, glycogen is converted back to glucose through a process called glycogenolysis.



2. Fat metabolism
Fatty acids can be broken down into energy and ketone bodies (an energy source for muscles and tissues). Ketone is only used when glucose metabolism is limited, as in starvation or uncontrolled diabetes. Fatty acids and their metabolic products are also responsible for synthesizing cholesterol, lipoproteins, and lecithin.
 


3. Protein metabolism
Three things take place in protein metabolism:

Deamination of amino acids - urea is released in the urine as a by-product when amino acids are broken down.   

 
Transamination – amino acid is transferred to a ketoacid to form non-essential amino acid.    


Synthesis of plasma proteins - plasma proteins including albumin, α-globulins, ᵝ-globulins, specific transport
                                                           proteins, plasma lipoproteins, and blood clotting factors are synthesized.
                                                           Vitamin K is essential for the synthesis of prothrombin and other clotting factors.


4. Storage
Acts as storage for glycogen, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), iron, copper, and
vitaminB12.



5. Drug metabolism
The liver metabolizes certain medications such as opioids, anaesthetics, amphetamines, and barbiturates,



6. Bile formation
Bile is continuously synthesized by the hepatocytes (cells in the liver). It consists of water, electrolytes (calcium, sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, and chloride), cholesterol, bile salts, and bilirubin.





What are some common liver diseases/disorders?

1. Jaundice (increased bilirubin concentration in the blood)

2. Viral hepatitis such as Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Hepatitis D

3. Liver cirrhosis (scarring of the liver due to long-term liver damage) – alcoholic cirrhosis, post necrotic cirrhosis (results from acute viral hepatitis), biliary cirrhosis (results from chronic biliary obstruction and infections in the bile duct)





Food that can nourish your liver
So, we finally get to explore the responsibilities of the largest gland in your body. Not only it is big in size, but it also holds a huge and crucial duty that helps to nourish your body. Therefore, you need to do your part to support the liver so in return it supports you.

Examples of food that help nourish the liver:


1. Plant-based food
There it goes again; plant-based food has the ultimate power to nourish you from the inside. It can provide nutritional and medicinal properties to your body. So, what food can you consume to support the liver?

• Beetroot is rich in vitamin B and C, which helps the growth of cells and is vital for immune function. This vegetable is also packed with carbohydrates and fibre. We all know the goodness of fibrous food for the body. However, carbohydrates might be a concern. Not to worry, as beetroot contains a Glycaemix Index (GI) of 61, which is considered medium therefore; it is a diabetic-friendly diet. Not only that, but beetroot also contains iron and potassium (which is a good source to reduce blood pressure and protect against osteoporosis, and kidney stones). A recent study has also found that it is also choleretic in nature, which means it promotes bile secretion.   

• Broccoli has antiviral and anticancer properties. Apart from that, it also contains a high amount of vitamin C, vitamin K (important in blood clotting factors), folate, potassium, and iron. It has a good source of fibre and protein.

•  Collard greens is highly packed with anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties which can nourish your liver. Besides that, it also contains a high amount of potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and calcium.

•  Carrots are packed with high antioxidant properties which are important to protect the cells from damage.   It   also contains vitamin B6 and vitamin A.

•  Yams and sweet potato are tuberous root vegetables. They are packed with fibre, potassium, and             vitamins C and E. These vegetables provide antioxidant properties, may reduce inflammation, boost brain          health, and improve blood sugar levels.

•  Avocado contains healthy fat and fibre which nourishes the body. Not only that, but it also provides               antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

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• Lemon is essential to decrease liver damage. It is packed highly with vitamin C and also promotes good digestion and immunity.

• Pomegranates provide the body with anti-cancer properties, antioxidant properties, and improve heart health. Aside from that, it contains folate, vitamin C, potassium, fibre, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

• Cherry contains vitamin C, fibre, potassium, copper, and manganese. Studies have shown that this fruit has rich antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory properties, can boost exercise recovery, and improve heart health.

• Papaya has vitamin C, A, fibre, and potassium. It is rich in antioxidant properties, anti-cancer properties, improves digestion, and nourishes the skin.

 



2. Grains
Grains help to control blood sugar levels, maintain blood pressure, and provide a rich source of fibre to the body. Examples include:

•    Barley
•    Maize
•    Wheat
•    Oat
•    Rye

3. Coffee
Drinking coffee has been shown to benefit the liver by increasing the antioxidant levels in the body and protecting the body from inflammation. However, consuming coffee in a high amount can damage the body. For a healthy person, drinking 4 or 5 cups of coffee a day is generally healthy. However, too much consumption will damage your body and sleep.



4. Tea
Not only drinking tea is good for overall well-being, but it can help improve liver health. Examples of good tea are- green tea, chamomile tea, hibiscus tea, ginger tea, and butterfly pea/blue pea tea.




5. Herbs and spices
Herbs and spices have long been in human history and it contains many benefits to the human body. It provides a great source of nourishment to the liver and overall body health. Include them in your food to add some flavour.


Examples of herbs:

•    Basil
•    Cilantro
•    Rosemary
•    Parsley
•    Mint
•    Thyme

Examples of spices:

•    Cardamom
•    Cinnamon
•    Cloves
•    Nutmeg
•    Turmeric
•    Saffron
•    Cumin

Avoid these foods as they can harm your liver
Not all food is considered healthy for the liver. Therefore, take precautions when you add them to your daily diet. You don’t need to stop eating it immediately nevertheless; reduce the amount consumed.

Examples of bad food for your liver:

1. Fast food
One of my favourite food is pizza. I never really succeeded in baking my pizza (although I did try once and ended up burning the pizza) and even if I did I don’t think I will be able to enjoy it. I love eating pizza from Pizza Hut (I mean who doesn’t). However, it is like a treat for me as I only have it occasionally, for instance, 3-4 times a year. Nevertheless, studies have shown that consuming fast food one-fifth or more daily increases the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.



2. Sugar-sweetened beverages
Candy, cookies, soda, and fruit juices contain too much sugar. This contributes to fat build-up in the liver.



3. Salty food
Too much salt increases the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.



4. Alcohol
High consumption of alcohol can increase liver disease.
 


5. Highly processed food
Highly processed food raises blood sugar therefore; the liver needs to work hard to control sugar levels in the body.










All in All
You can only properly care for your liver when you know the in and out of the largest gland in the body. The liver works so hard to support you in every way. Therefore, you have to nourish your liver by consuming good food. I hope you can cultivate these simple tips in your daily life. However, feel free to share if you know more things. After all, we humans evolve by sharing and creating bonds.



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Reference
1.  Ross and Wilson, Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness.
2.  Casas-Grajales S, Muriel P. (2015); Antioxidants in liver health; World J Gastrointestinal Pharmacology Ther; 6(3): 59-72.
3.  Elvira-Torales LI, García-Alonso J, Periago-Castón MJ. (2019); Nutritional Importance of Carotenoids and Their Effect on Liver
     Health: A Review; MDPI; 8(7):229. 
4.  Sebastian Niezen, Manaav Mehta, Z. Gordon Jiang, and Elliot B. Tapper (2022); Coffee Consumption is associated with lower liver 
     stiffness: A nationally representative study; Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology; 20: 2032-2040.
5.  Jackson AA. (2017); Nutrition and Liver Health; Dig Dis; 35(4):411-417.
6.  Cindy W. Leung, Elliot B. Tapper (2022); Sugar-sweetened beverages are associated With increased liver stiffness and steatosis
     among apparently healthy adults; Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology; 20(4): 959-961.