The liver, being one of the main organs of the digestive system, plays a colossal role in the human body. It is responsible for the production of bile, the normalization of cholesterol levels in the blood, and the synthesis of various types of protein. It also performs a total of over five hundred functions! Each of us must have heard that the liver is the main filter in the body that purifies the blood.
The enormous responsibility entrusted to this organ requires attention from a person. And maintaining liver health throughout life is one of our key tasks. Doing this is quite simple if you know what exactly is dangerous for the main filtering organ and how to avoid it. In this article, we will provide you with a list of the main factors that kill liver cells and threaten health.
Major Things That Harm Your Liver
Here are major factors that harm the health of the liver.
Hitting The Liver With Alcohol
With excessive consumption of alcohol, the liver has to continuously cleanse the blood. It has to perform a huge variety of other functions and simply cannot cope with the load. Regular consumption of even a small amount of alcohol leads to the active destruction of liver cells.
A group of scientists found that the death of organ cells occurs even with the use of only 40 g of alcohol for men and 20 g for women. Regular abuse of alcohol-containing drinks can lead to the development of alcoholic hepatitis, fatty degeneration, or cirrhosis.
Moreover, it is worth noting that any type of alcohol causes irreparable harm to the liver. And such diseases are more common among men than in women. Thus, for restoration of the liver’s health, they must quit alcoholism. Such people can get assistance from any men’s detox center located nearby. These programs cater special needs of men and help them recover soon.
Fatty, Spicy, and Fried Foods
An unhealthy diet and excess weight are especially harmful to the liver. A significant threat to the glandular organ is the abuse of harmful foods and the absence of a good diet. Among the products that pose the greatest danger to the liver, it is worth noting:
- Lard, fatty varieties of fish, meat and poultry, as well as dishes prepared on their basis
- Fast foods and various semi-finished products
- Sweet carbonated drinks
- Confectionery and foods rich in easily digestible carbohydrates
- Butter and vegetable oil are repeatedly used for frying
- Sausages and all kinds of smoked meats
- Various food additives, flavorings and seasonings
All these products, in general, have a negative effect on the body, filling it with harmful substances. Moreover, the more such substances come with food, the greater the load on the liver, the function of which is to cleanse the body.
Smoking Cigarettes
Smoking is no less harmful to the liver. The tars present in cigarette smoke contain a huge amount of carcinogens. In addition, when smoke is inhaled, some of it enters the bloodstream and goes straight to the liver. It is not easy for the glandular organ to cope with such loads.
So smokers are at an increased risk of developing various liver diseases. In addition, carcinogenic cigarette smoke causes changes in the walls of blood vessels. As a result, it leads to a deterioration in the blood supply to almost all systems organs, including the liver.
Abusing Drugs
Drug-induced liver injury is quite common. The main reason for this is the non-compliance with safe dosages of drugs and the wide availability of medicines. Accordingly, self-medication, which often involves the use of drugs, also harms the liver’s health.
In addition, when taking certain drugs, a negative effect on the liver is due to their possible side effects. So, American researchers say that in about 2-5% of patients undergoing treatment in a hospital, it is the intake of certain groups of drugs that causes jaundice.
Also, in 40% of patients over the age of 40, side effects of medications cause hepatitis. And in 25% of people undergoing treatment, there occurs acute liver failure. Refusal of self-medication and strict adherence to the dosages of drugs prescribed by the doctor will help to avoid such a negative effect on the liver.
Liver Disease
The greatest danger to the liver is various types of hepatitis. An inflammatory disease that occurs in an acute or chronic form can lead to irreversible processes in a vital organ. Viral hepatitis (A, B, C, delta, E, G) can be transmitted both internally and externally. In the first case, infection occurs through the mouth; in the second – through the blood. Thus, hepatitis A and E can be transmitted through contact together with saliva. Infection with hepatitis B and C occurs through blood transfusion, sexual contact and the use of syringes with a sick person.
The main danger of such diseases lies in the fact that at the initial stages of development, they are almost asymptomatic. Later signs of the disease are discomfort in the right hypochondrium, dark urine, jaundice, and discoloration of the feces. The most dangerous for the health and life of patients are such complications of hepatitis as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Take Away
To the question “What kills the liver?” the answer is pretty simple. The liver kills a person’s careless attitude to her health. Irregular meals, accompanied by snacks on the go and the use of fast foods, bad habits, constant stress and uncontrolled medication are all the reasons that kill the liver.
And all this happens solely through the fault of the person himself. Only careful attention to health will help eliminate risks to the liver. The most important thing is to eat right, stop smoking and alcohol, take time to rest and consult a doctor in a timely manner for any health problems.
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