The Liver: Vital Functions, Warning Signs of Damage, and How to Protect It

Your liver performs hundreds of essential functions in your body. One of its most important roles is filtering toxins from the blood. Although the liver is well-equipped for this task, its role as a filter makes it vulnerable to the toxins it processes. Excessive toxins can overwhelm the liver’s resources and its ability to function properly. This can happen temporarily or over a long period.

Understanding Liver Disease

When doctors refer to liver disease, they usually mean chronic conditions that cause increasing damage to the liver over time. Common causes include viral infections, poisoning, and some metabolic disorders. The liver has remarkable regenerative capabilities, but constant overwork can exhaust it, and eventually, it may no longer function correctly.

How Common Are Liver Diseases?

According to Cleveland Clinic, about 1.8% of adults in the United States (4.5 million people) suffer from liver diseases. This condition causes roughly 57,000 deaths annually in the US. Globally, liver disease is responsible for around 2 million deaths each year, about 4% of all deaths worldwide. Most fatalities are due to complications of cirrhosis, while acute liver failure is less common. Liver disease affects men twice as much as women.

Early Signs of Liver Disease

Many people with liver disease show no symptoms in the early stages, so it’s difficult to detect liver health problems by symptoms alone. If early symptoms do appear, they are often caused by other factors. If you are concerned about your liver health—even if you feel well—consult your doctor.

Early symptoms may include:

• General malaise

• Persistent fatigue, even after rest

• Nausea

• Pain or discomfort under the ribs on the right side

• Small spider-like veins on the skin above the waist

• Redness and spots on the palms

• Sleep disturbances

Advanced Liver Damage Symptoms — Seek Immediate Medical Attention

If you experience any of the following, go to the emergency room immediately. These symptoms might not always be caused by cirrhosis, but urgent medical assessment is necessary:

• Vomiting blood

• Difficulty breathing or feeling short of breath

• Very dark or tar-like stools

• Confusion or difficulty staying awake

• Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes or skin)

Tips to Maintain a Healthy Liver

Certain patients with chronic hepatitis B infection may require medication, while others might not. However, there are many health practices that can help protect the liver and improve overall health, both for patients and healthy individuals, according to the Hepatitis B Foundation.

Here are the best ways to protect your liver:

• Schedule regular follow-ups with a liver specialist.

• Get vaccinated against hepatitis A to protect yourself from another liver-targeting virus.

• Avoid smoking and any other habits harmful to the liver, especially if you have hepatitis B.

• Consult your doctor before starting any herbal remedies or supplements, as some may interfere with your hepatitis medications or harm the liver.

• Ask your pharmacist about the safety of over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen/paracetamol or others, since many are processed by the liver.

• Avoid inhaling fumes from paint, paint thinners, glue, household cleaning products, nail polish removers, and other toxic chemicals that can damage the liver.

• Maintain a healthy diet rich in fruits, whole grains, fish, lean meats, and colorful vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower have been shown to protect the liver from environmental toxins.

• Limit foods and drinks with added sugars, including soda, fruit juices, sweets, and processed snacks.

• Reduce intake of saturated fats found in fatty meats and fried foods.

• Avoid eating raw or undercooked shellfish, which may be contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, highly toxic to the liver.

• Check nuts, corn, peanuts, millet, and sorghum for mold before consumption; moldy food may contain aflatoxins, a known risk factor for liver cancer.

• Manage stress levels by eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting enough rest.