Your liver has the function of filtering toxins in the blood, processing nutrients and helping the body fight infections. Although it is a strong and resilient organ, some factors can damage it, including alcohol, drugs, medications, inflammation, and poor nutrition. Unlike other organs, the liver is able to regenerate itself, so you can get it back to health by avoiding alcoholic beverages, exercising more, and making other lifestyle changes. Following a healthy diet is an equally important condition for restoring liver health, so try to lose the extra pounds, avoid bad fats and limit your consumption of sugar and salt. If you have any medical conditions, discuss it with your doctor to get adequate treatment.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Improving the Lifestyle
Step 1. Avoid alcohol, tobacco and drugs
Prolonged abuse of alcoholic beverages can cause liver damage. If you have cirrhosis or another liver disease, alcohol can make it worse even when taken in small amounts.
Tobacco and soft drugs can also make liver conditions worse. If you use it, do your best to be able to quit
Step 2. Exercise at least half an hour a day
Exercising regularly can help alleviate various liver disorders. For example, it can help you lose the extra pounds and solve the "fatty liver" problem accordingly. If you have cirrhosis, exercise will promote better metabolism, while if you have a chronic disease, it will help you keep it under control and prevent it from causing more liver damage.
- Aerobic exercise is especially helpful, so try running, swimming, or biking for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week.
- If you've been pretty sedentary up until now, talk to your doctor before you start exercising.
Step 3. Watch out for medications that can cause liver damage
If you have liver disease, ask your doctor for advice before taking any medicine. Consider, for example, that acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter flu and pain relievers (including Tachipirina), can cause liver damage or make it worse. It is critically important to avoid taking potentially harmful medicines if you have liver cirrhosis or fibrosis.
Taking acetaminophen in combination with alcohol is dangerous even if your liver is currently in good health
Step 4. Avoid dietary supplements, especially if you have cirrhosis
Consult your doctor before taking any supplements or medicinal herbs, as they may worsen liver problems or hinder its regeneration.
Method 2 of 3: Eat Healthily
Step 1. Try to lose weight gradually if you are obese or overweight
Losing the extra pounds is certainly important, but a drastic weight loss could make your liver condition worse. If you are obese or overweight, doctors recommend losing a maximum of 7% of your body weight within a year.
Eat a healthy diet, cut back on portions, and stay fit by exercising regularly. Avoid too restrictive diets, do not skip meals and do not resort to dangerous tricks to lose weight quickly putting your health at risk
Step 2. Avoid saturated and trans fats by replacing them with healthier alternatives
A diet rich in harmful fats can be the cause of fatty liver disease, more commonly called "fatty liver", or it could aggravate liver damage. Saturated and trans fats are contained in red meat, poultry skin, butter and packaged foods prepared with dubious quality oils and fats.
- Choose foods that contain unsaturated fats, including extra virgin olive oil, salmon, nuts, and soy beans.
- Even when you eat healthy ingredients, you should limit your consumption of fats and oils. The recommended daily amount depends on age, gender and level of physical activity, but is generally between 5 and 7 tsp. For example, a single avocado contains 6 teaspoons of oil, while a serving of dried fruit contains 3 to 4 teaspoons.
Step 3. Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
Low-glycemic foods have a lessened effect on the level of sugar in the blood and are less of a burden on the liver. This category includes citrus fruits, apples, leafy vegetables, carrots, beans, barley and wholemeal pasta.
Limit your consumption of foods with a high glycemic index, such as white bread, common pasta, potatoes and most breakfast cereals sold in supermarkets
Step 4. Reduce your daily salt intake to less than 1,500 mg
In addition to providing other health benefits, ingesting less salt can help you prevent possible complications related to liver problems. If your organ isn't functioning as it should, salt could build up in your body and cause swelling and fluid retention.
Do not use salt at the table and avoid foods that are rich in salt, such as chips, crackers and other typical aperitif snacks. When cooking, use spices, herbs, and lemon juice to add flavor
Step 5. Avoid foods and drinks that are high in sugar
In particular, you should stay away from those that contain fructose, which is a simple type of sugar. It is normally contained in sugary drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices. Try to limit your consumption of sweets and desserts as well.
Step 6. If you have liver cirrhosis, consult a dietician to learn how to properly modify your diet
The disease can cause loss of appetite and impair the body's ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. If you have cirrhosis or an eating disorder related to liver health, your doctor or dietician may advise you to eat a high-protein or high-calorie diet. Additionally, you may need to take a liquid supplement to meet your daily nutrient needs.
Method 3 of 3: Ask the Doctor for Help
Step 1. See your doctor promptly if you have symptoms that may indicate liver damage
If you have any unusual complaints, talk to your doctor, especially if you are at risk of developing liver disease or if you have a disease that could cause organ damage.
- Some symptoms may be difficult to detect, these include pain in the stomach or right side (between the ribs and the hip), yellowing of the skin or sclera of the eyes, dark urine, intense itching, fatigue, nausea and swelling.
- Prolonged abuse of alcoholic beverages (more than 4 drinks per day for men or more than 2 for women), obesity, excessive use of drugs or medications, and viral infections are among the most common causes of disease to the liver.
Step 2. Start therapy to treat the cause of the liver problems
The onset or worsening of liver disease could be caused by an injury, harmful substance abuse, infection, or other factors. Unlike other organs, fortunately the liver is capable of regenerating itself. By following treatment to eliminate the disease from which the liver disorder originated and making the necessary lifestyle and diet changes, liver function may return to normal within a few weeks.
For example, assuming you have suffered from an overdose that damaged between 50 and 60% of your liver, unless complications arise, the organ should be able to fully regenerate within thirty days
Step 3. Treat chronic diseases
If you have a chronic condition or long-term illness, consult your doctor to find out how you can heal or control the situation. In addition to improving your lifestyle and diet, you may need to take medications or treatment, for example if you have a chronic liver condition (including hepatitis C or fatty liver). Other chronic health problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, can also aggravate liver damage and increase the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
If your liver is in poor health, your doctor will need to consider changing the medications you are taking to treat other conditions. You will also need to undergo regular checks
Step 4. See your doctor to find out if there are any emergency treatments
In the near future, researchers could create new drugs capable of treating liver problems. Discuss with your doctor about the options available to recover from diseases such as fatty liver, cirrhosis, hepatitis, etc.
- For example, state-of-the-art medicines and new therapies, such as cell replacement therapy, may be able to address some liver diseases for which there is currently no cure, for example for fatty liver.
- Since 2013, new antiviral drugs have been placed on the market which in most cases can treat hepatitis C.
