Your liver is an integral organ of your body, and when its stop functioning properly, it can disrupt several other organs in your body. A healthy liver is essential for a fit, wholesome and healthy life, and for that, you need to watch out for any suspicious signs of mal-activity within your body, along with taking adequate preventive measures.
There are certain habits, foods and activities that harm the liver, and if we continue these practices, they can seriously damage our liver and invite countless infection or allergies.
Let’s take a look at all these surprisingly common, and supposedly healthy habits that can actually damage your liver quite gravely:
1. Fizzy Drinks
Soft drinks and sodas are extremely harmful for the stomach, liver and several other organs, and they also increase the calorie count of your diet.
Research reveals that individuals who drink excessive quantities of soft drinks are at a greater risk to develop non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, no concrete evidence has been collected to validate that soft drinks cause the ailment. But in any case, chugging down too many fizzy drinks is bad for your health, so consider cutting down.
2. Sugar
Sugar is not only hazardous for your dental health, but it also causes severe harm to your liver. The liver uses fructose, a kind of sugar, to produce fats, and consuming great amounts of fructose corn syrup and refined sugars can cause fats to accumulate in your abdomen. This eventually leads to a severe liver infection.
There are several studies that reveal sugar to be as dangerous for the liver as alcohol, regardless of whether you’re obese or fit. So, if you want to keep your liver healthy, limit your consumption of added sugars, which are found in candy bars, chocolates, sodas, brownies and cakes.
3. Obesity
Obesity and diabetes increase your risk for developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease because the extra pounds tend to accumulate in your liver cells, which causes your liver to swell up.
Eventually, if you don’t try to reduce your weight, the fat starts to harden, and scars start emerging on your liver tissues. In medical terms, this ailment is referred to as cirrhosis. The best way to prevent this ailment is to keep a regular exercise regime and eat a healthy, well balanced diet.
4. Common Mistakes
We all make mistakes every day, and so do nurses and doctors. Sometimes, they forget to change the needle that they have already used on a patient. In another scenario, drug addicts share needles to inject certain drugs.
It’s important to understand that the needle isn’t the problem, but actually, the virus that is present on the needle. It can cause the hepatitis C virus to enter your blood stream. It doesn’t matter if the needle was only injected once, it will still put you at a high risk for developing several fatalistic diseases like HIV or hepatitis C. If such an incident has happened, don’t make any delays in getting yourself tested.
5. Acetaminophen
It is extremely common for all of us to reach out for pain killers every now and then, be it menstrual pain, a headache, a toothache or a mild cold, we pop pain relievers like they’re candies. And this is exactly where we need to take caution because pain killers, whether they are for a cold or a headache, contain acetaminophen, and this compound, when taken in excessive quantities, can cause severe damage to your liver.
Taking one pill a day is normal, however, be sure to consult your doctors to discuss the dosage and limits.
6. Herb Supplements
The label will always say 100% pure and organic, but that shouldn’t be evidence enough. There are certain herbs that can heal certain symptoms, but cause certain other symptoms to emerge. For example, kava kava is an herb that relieves the symptoms of menopause, but at the same time, it also messes up with the functions of the liver. Its effects are so adverse that they can cause liver failure and hepatitis.
There are several states and countries that have banned the trade of this herb, however, unfortunately it can be obtained in America. Not just this particular herb, but for every herb you take, be sure to consult your doctor and discuss its merits and safety.
7. Alcohol
We all know that excessive drinking can cause severe damage to the liver, but the truth is, alcohol can damage your liver even if you’re not an alcoholic and have a habit of drinking more than the normal quantity.
When one starts drinking, it is hard to keep track of the amount going inside the body. A standard glass contains 5 ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of liquor and 12 ounces of beer. So, the next time you drink, keep a mental count and set your limits. Ideally, women should drink no more than one drink every day while men can have two.
8. Vitamin A Supplements
Enriching your body with vitamin A is an excellent and healthy decision, however, getting this nutrient from supplements isn’t healthy at all. Instead of supplements, turn to the natural sources of vitamin A, for instance red, orange and yellow fruits or veggies.
High doses of vitamin A supplements can seriously harm your liver. So, the next time you want to pick out some vitamin A supplements, consult your doctor and verify whether you really need them or not.
9. Trans Fats
Certain packaged meals and baked foods containing trans-fats have man-made fat. They make you overweight, and harm your liver. Even if the label says zero grams of Trans-fats, the product is still likely to have a tiny bit, and when it adds up in your diet, it makes a huge amount.
So, avoid trans-fats and stick to wholesome meals.
Now that you are aware of all the surprising common habits that can inflict serious damage to your liver, be sure to avoid them and eliminate them from your lifestyle. Remember, prevention is the best trick for staying healthy.
