feature
Living with your liver, in good health or bad
The adult liver is about the size of a football and is a vital part of the human body; without it, we cannot survive.
Made up of 300 billion cells, and weighing about 1.3 kilograms, the liver detoxifies nearly two litres of blood
every hour as it passes through for cleansing before returning to circulation. Every 24 hours it produces an
essential substance called bile, which aids in the digestion of food and elimination of waste.
Although in many ways the liver is an ingenious organ
- able to function when as much as three quarters of it
is diseased or removed, and able to regenerate itself
from healthy cells - it is important to look after our
liver, whether or not there is any disease affecting it.
Toxins
Because the liver works like an engine, processing
the fuel that you put into your body, it is sensitive to
all toxins that enter your system through the food
you eat, the beverages you drink and the drugs and
alcohol that you consume.
But it is not only what you eat and drink that can affect
the liver; it is environmental pollutants also, such as
chemicals, bug sprays, and paint thinner that enter
your system through the lungs and are processed by
the liver and then discharged.
The liver works to control the production and eradication
of cholesterol from your body, to remove toxins, and to
store vitamins, sugar and iron.
It is not designed to store fat but a number of factors
can cause it to, leading to a condition known as fatty
liver.
Fatty liver
Fatty liver is caused by consuming too many foods that
contain fat and sugar, not getting enough exercise,
sustained drinking of alcohol over a long period of time,
and having diabetes (a condition that renders the body
unable to process or control sugar).
It is unknown why, but hepatitis C patients are more
likely to develop fatty liver.
Fatty liver in patients with hepatitis C has been found
to increase the rate of damage being caused to the liver
by the virus. It is also known that hepatitis C treatment
is not as effective in patients with fatty liver.
Diet and exercise have a profoundly positive impact on
reducing fatty liver, and liver health in general.
Diet and exercise
The simplest way to maintain your liver health, reduce
fatty liver and help the liver to regenerate itself from
healthy cells is to ensure you are eating a healthy diet
that includes fruit, vegetables, nuts, wholegrains and
meat, chicken or fish with little or no fat content.
Salt, sugar and fat should be avoided where possible.
Combining a healthy diet with regular moderate
exercise is important to ensure your liver is functioning
as well as possible.
A common side effect of hepatitis C is tiredness; regular
gentle exercise such as walking also alleviates tiredness
and improves energy levels.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a chemcial that is poisonous to the human
body. Every beverage you drink containing alcohol is
filtered and broken down by your liver.
As your liver breaks down the alcohol, it produces byproducts that are more toxic to the body than the
alcohol itself. These by-products can cause liver cells
to inflame or die.
Scars then form as part of the healing process and
interfere with your liver function.
Drinking large amounts of alcohol can temporarily
damage the liver; it can process just one standard
drink an hour.
The liver can generally repair itself; however,
sustained heavy drinking over longer periods of
time can cause cirrhosis (scarring).
If you have hepatitis C, the virus will be slowly
attacking your liver, causing damage or disease.
Drinking alcohol while this is happening rapidly
increases the rate of damage caused by the virus.
Therefore, if you have hepatitis C it is recommended
you consume no more than
21 standard drinks per week
(male) or no more than 14
standard drinks per week
(female); any more than this
is associated with accelerated
disease progression.
If you have cirrhosis or fibrosis
(advanced liver damage) it is
recommended you abstain
from drinking altogether.
Alcohol and hep C
treatment
It is extremely important to
abstain from drinking alcohol
during treatment; alcohol
consumption can affect the
body’s response to treatment
and lower the chances of
clearing the virus.
Maintaining a healthy liver
There are many ways to ensure your
liver is, and remains, in good health.
Most are about balance, such as
ensuring you undertake a moderate
amount of exercise, drink alcohol
only in moderation and eat a wellbalanced, healthy diet.
However there are other ways to
try to improve the health of your
liver; it has been found that drinking
five or more cups of coffee per
day can reduce the risk of the liver
progressing into the most advanced
stage of damage - fibrosis - by almost
50 per cent.
Smoking more than two cannabis
joints per day has been linked with
speeding up the progession of
hepatitis C; any less than two joints
per day does not have a known
effect.
Keeping in regular contact with your
doctor or healthcare provider is also
important.
If you have hepatitis C, regular blood
tests are essential to monitor liver
function.
Being aware of your liver health
means you can take control and
make decisions that are right for you.
More information about liver health
is available at www.hepfoundation.
org.nz/liverhealth.
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