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April 2016 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
Eat foods that have a lot of fiber,
such as fresh fruits, vegetables,
whole-grain bread, rice and cereal.
Keeping Your Liver Healthy
Proactive care can prevent diseases
such as hepatitis
weight under control, which will
help prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver
disease (NAFLD), a condition that
leads to cirrhosis. Eat food from all
the food groups: grains, fruit, dairy,
protein, vegetables and fats. Eat
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foods that have a lot of fiber, such as
fresh fruits, vegetables, whole-grain
bread, rice and cereal.
• Don’t touch or breathe in toxins
– Certain chemicals found in cleaning products, additives in cigarettes,
insecticides and aerosol products
can damage your liver. Avoid direct
contact with them, and avoid smoking.
• Drink coffee – Research indicates drinking coffee can reduce
your risk of getting liver disease.
• Be careful of dietary supplements and herbs – Some of these
can harm your liver. A few that have
caused problems are comfrey, kava,
cascara, chaparral and ephedra.
Some herbs and supplements are
said to restore the liver, including
borotutu bark, milk thistle and chanca piedra. Be wary of them because
some may cause harm.
• Get some minerals – Both macro
and trace minerals are required
for all enzymatic processes in the
body, including the liver’s important
detoxifying role. Vitamin B complex
and vitamin C aid liver function and
cleansing. Amino acids help in one
of the liver’s main detoxification
pathways. Omega-3 essential fatty
acids help the cells transfer toxins
from within the cell to outside it.
By Harleena Singh, Staff Writer
The liver is a complex organ that
plays a major role in the body’s
digestive system – everything you
eat or drink, as well as medicines
you take, passes through it.
The liver helps neutralize and dispose of toxins; fights off viruses and
infections; feeds the body the energy
it needs to function; and regulates
sex hormones, cholesterol levels and
vitamin and mineral supplies in the
body, in addition to performing several other functions.
Here are a few ways to keep your
liver healthy:
• Limit alcohol consumption
– Alcohol damages liver cells and
leads to scarring or swelling that
becomes cirrhosis, which can be
deadly. According to U.S. government guidelines, men should have
no more than two alcoholic drinks a
day and women only one.
• Keep a watch on certain medicines – Cholesterol drugs and the
painkiller acetaminophen can hurt
your liver if you take too much of
them. Acetaminophen is found in
many drugs such as Tylenol, cold
medicines and prescription pain
medicines, so be careful when you
use them. Some medicines can hurt
your liver if you drink alcohol when
you take them, while others are
harmful when combined with other
drugs. Talk to your doctor about the
safest ways to take your medicines.
• Be aware of and prevent hepatitis – This serious disease that harms
your liver comes in various types.
You can catch hepatitis A from eating
or drinking water that has the virus
that causes the disease. You should
get a vaccine if you’re traveling to
places where there are outbreaks of
hepatitis A. Hepatitis B and hepatitis
C spread through blood and body
fluids. To reduce your risk, don’t
share items such as needles, razors
and toothbrushes. Always use latex
condoms and limit your number of
sex \