Did you know your liver is about the size of a football? The essential organ is primarily responsible for filtering blood that comes directly from the digestive tract just before it is transmitted to the rest of the body. It also helps to remove toxins from the bloodstream, so it is important that you do not overwhelm the liver with substances that can interfere with these important functions, such as alcohol and added sugars.
Alcohol sales increased in 2020 as more people spent time at home and also combated high stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, the Americans’ livers suffer as a result. For example, Keck Hospital at USC in Los Angeles recently reported that admissions for alcoholic hepatitis and liver failure increased by 30% last year, compared to the previous year. This particular leap is largely associated with alcohol abuse, but alcohol is not the only beverage that can damage the organ.
Below are five drinking habits that can ruin your liver. And then don’t miss 15 underrated weight loss tips that actually work for tips on how to get in shape this year.
While USDA’s most recent dietary guidelines state that drinking one glass of alcohol a day is good for the overall health of women, one study suggests otherwise. According to a 2018 study published in the journal Lancet Public Health, the likelihood that a healthy woman may develop cirrhosis – or scars in the liver caused by liver disease –was higher in those who drank alcohol daily than those who drank less frequently.
Bottom line: If you drink one glass of alcohol one day (or less), it may be the key to keeping your liver in top shape.
The USDA dietary guidelines recommend that men limit their alcohol consumption to only two alcoholic beverages per day to maintain good health, but it is important to make sure the measurement is correct. A standard beverage in the US is defined as 14 grams of alcohol – it can look like 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of table wine or 1.5 ounces of liquor. Unfortunately, women have a higher risk of liver injury compared to men for any drinking water, according to a 2019 study in the journal, Hepatology.
Another study found that men (and women) older than 50 had a higher risk of both cirrhosis and non-cirrhotic liver damage if they drank alcohol without food, compared to those who drank only at meal time. Even more interesting, the study suggests that occasional drinking is less likely to cause liver damage than drinking a small amount of alcohol daily. According to the CDC, men are twice as likely to drink alcohol as women.
Bottom line: Drinking alcohol with meals can be key to preventing liver disease in older men.
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According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Hepatology, 90% of the 271 obese children and teenagers included drank soda and other sweetened beverages at least once a week. Liver biopsies revealed this 37.6% of the children have a condition called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is a form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Those with NASH experience fat buildup in the liver, which is accompanied by inflammation and liver damage. It can cause lesions in the liver, called cirrhosis, which can then lead to liver cancer. Researchers suggest that reducing fructose intake in children may help lower their risk for NASH and NAFLD.
Bottom line: Limiting the intake of children with soda and other sugary drinks can prevent harmful liver conditions from developing.
An advantage of opting for diet soda over normal soda is that you skip all the excess added sugar. However, one study suggests that there is a big pitfall to follow the sugar-free route. According to a 2008 study published in The Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, people who drank Diet Coke were more likely to suffer from moderate to severe NAFLD.
Bottom line: Limit your intake of the diet, just as with the sugary counterpart.
If you look at the nutrition label on the back of a can manufactured by one of the leading soda brands, you will more than likely see a high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as one of the top three ingredients. The hyper-sweet artificial sugar, derived from corn syrup, has been linked to various health problems, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. However, studies have also shown that high intake of HFCS can also cause NAFLD, according to the National Institutes of Health. In fact, one such study revealed that mice that ate a diet rich in HFCS experienced a deterioration in their intestinal barrier.
Bottom line: The less HFCS you consume, the more you reduce the risk of NAFLD and other poor health outcomes.
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