The Hepatitis Foundation of New Zealand
Know it. Test it. Treat it.
Hepatitis and lifestyle
Alcohol
For people with hepatitis,
reducing your alcohol intake is
one of the most important things
you can do to look after yourself.
All people living with hepatitis
should aim to keep alcohol intake
to a minimum. This will reduce the risk of
developing hepatitis-related complications as
alcohol can speed up the progression of liver
disease. Regular and heavy alcohol intake will
increase liver damage and the risk of developing
cirrhosis.
Once alcohol enters your bloodstream it moves
to the liver, which processes the alcohol. Even
for people without hepatitis, heavy drinking
can result in scarring of the liver. If someone has
hepatitis the damage from alcohol is worse and
happens quicker.
index) but should include eating a variety of
food from all main food groups, drinking plenty
of water, avoiding or limiting food high in salt,
sugar, and/or fat and maintaining a healthy
weight.
•
Cereals, bread and grains
These are a good
source of fibre,
protein, fat and
energy. They provide
magnesium, zinc,
vitamin B2, niacin,
folate, sodium
minerals, and carbohydrates. Try to include
whole grains in your diet as these include
the bran and germ of the grain, and are
a rich source of fibre. Include food with
ingredients such as brown rice, oatmeal,
whole oats, rye or wheat and whole-grain
corn.
•
Vegetables and legumes
This essential food
group is a great
source of protein,
vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants and
fibre. You should aim
to include a variety
of vegetables in your diet such as root
vegetables (e.g. carrots), leafy greens (e.g.
spinach), flowers (e.g. broccoli), and peppers
(e.g. capsicum). Legumes include food such
as baked beans, kidney beans, lentils, green
beans, snow peas and mung beans.
•
Fruit
Anyone with cirrhosis is advised not to drink at
all.
It is very important that people do not drink if
they are receiving treatment for hepatitis C. It
will affect your chances of clearing the virus.
Exercise
Regular exercise can help keep your liver healthy
and prevent damage. Exercise will also help you
maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of
fatty liver disease. Try to do moderate exercise
regularly, such as walking.
A common symptom of hepatitis is fatigue.
Exercise can be a great way to improve energy
levels and put you in a positive mood.
Diet
Having a healthy and well balanced diet will
improve your health and slow the progression
of liver disease. Diets can vary based on many
factors including age, sex and BMI (body mass
Fruit, especially
fresh, whole fruit
is another vital
food group. Fruit
is a good source
of antioxidants,
vitamins and fibre,
and are generally low in fat, sodium, and
calories.
•
•
Dairy
Dairy products are an
excellent source of
calcium and also provide
protein, vitamin B2,
vitamin B12, and vitamin
D. Try to eat low-fat dairy
products such as edam
cheese, skim/trim milk, low-fat ice-cream,
low-fat yoghurt, and ‘lite’ sour cream.
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and nuts
This food group should
be eaten moderately. This
group is an excellent source
of protein, iron, zinc, and
vitamin B12.
A small amount of fat is needed in a diet as it
stores energy, protects tissue and transports
vitamins. However, it is important to limit the
amount of fat in your diet, particularly ‘bad’
saturated fats that are found in food such as
cakes, biscuits, cream or chips. Sugar should
also be limited. People with hepatitis need to
be particularly careful that they do not develop
fatty liver disease where the cells in the liver
store excess fat. This will put more strain on the
liver.
Salt is needed in a diet to help the body
function but too much salt can increase risk of
developing a high blood pressure.
Sex
Hepatitis cannot be spread easily through sexual
contact, however as a general rule of thumb,
you should practice safe-sex with all sexual
partners.
Hepatitis B is spread through contact with blood
or body fluids. It can be transmitted by having
unprotected sexual contact with someone who
has hepatitis B.
We advise partners and close household
contacts of people with hepatitis B to ask their
doctor about immunisation. The immunisation
is free if your partner or close household contact
has hepatitis B.
A simple blood test can check if someone is
immune. You can become immune to hepatitis
B by an immunisation vaccine, or if you have
been in contact with the virus in the past but
your immune system managed to clear the virus
and produce antibodies which will protect you
from becoming infected.
Hepatitis C is spread through blood-to-blood
contact. Hepatitis C is not classed as a sexually
transmitted disease as the risk of spreading the
virus through sex is very low, as there needs to
be blood-to-blood contact. It more commonly
transmitted with male to male sex than male to
female.
Coffee has been shown in some studies
to be good for those with liver disease.
However caffeine should still be consumed in
moderation, particularly energy drinks high in
sugar and caffeine, such as Red Bull or V.
However, the risk of transmission is higher if a
person has an STD/STI such as genital warts. If
someone has hepatitis C and has several sexual
partners, or if there is a higher risk of blood-toblood contact during sex, the use of condoms
and other safe sex practices are recommended.
Drugs
There is no immunisation available to prevent
transmission of hepatitis C from one person to
another.
Some medication, such as
paracetemol, can be bad for your
liver. In general, you should speak to a
health care professional before taking
medication or herbal remedies.
Recreational drugs can also damage the liver.
If you have hepatitis you should try to stop
or reduce drug use. Heavy cannabis use is
connected with increased liver scarring. If you
can reduce or stop drug use you will slow the
progression of liver damage.