Maintaining a Healthy Liver the Natural Way


By Erika Dworkin, Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®


"The liver is a very special organ: even if more than fifty percent of its overall mass is damaged...it can regenerate itself completely. This amazing ability is essen- tial. The liver is the body's most important metabolic organ..."


~ “Understanding the Mechanisms of Liver Regeneration Through Computer Simulation,” Science News, Science Daily (June 9, 2010)


"Most people think liver disease is caused by excess alcohol or hepatitis viruses. The reality is that the leading cause of liver disease today is excess weight. This form of liver degeneration associated with obesity and high blood sugar is called nonalco- holic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)...With no approved pharmacological treatments, life- style and dietary therapies remain the only hope for stemming the tide of NAFLD... Physicians rarely focus on liver health except in advanced cases.


~ “The Silent Epidemic of Liver Disease,” lifeextension.com/magazine (April 2015)


excessively. Even then, they tend not to attend to it until they have symptoms and learn from blood tests that their liver enzymes are high, an indication of inflammation or injury. This article aims to increase your awareness of the critical


M


ost people don’t give much thought to the health of their liver unless they drink alcohol


importance of liver function in order to help you prevent liver disease. Once you have disease symptoms, such as jaundice, abdominal pain and swelling, leg and an- kle swelling, dark urine color, itchy skin, nausea/loss of appetite, chronic fatigue, or easy bruising, damage reversal may prove extremely challenging.


The Role of the Liver & How It Works The liver has three key functions.


First, it assures the metabolism of car- bohydrates, fats, and proteins. Second, it stores glycogen, which the body uses for energy, and vitamins A, B12, D, E, and K. Third, the liver is one of the main excretory organs that ensure ongoing removal of the body’s waste and toxins. The liver detoxifies by: (1) filtering blood, (2) producing and secreting bile, a critical element of fat digestion and fat-soluble vitamin absorption that also carries toxins to the intestines for excretion in fiber, and (3) neutralizing harmful chemicals through a two-phase enzymatic process.


In Phase I detoxification, enzymes ei-


ther neutralize various unwanted chemicals, or convert them to intermediate forms that are then processed by Phase II enzymes. Genetics, level of exposure, and nutritional status determine the activity of the group of enzymes called cytochrome P450, which detoxify most hazardous chemicals. Phase I enzymes typically neutralize many prescrip- tion and OTC drugs, caffeine, histamine, hormones, and pesticides.


In Phase II detoxification, through six different pathways, a process called conjugation either neutralizes toxins or renders it easier for the body to excrete them in urine or bile. Absence of the nutrients and energy required for proper functioning of these enzymatic processes results in dangerous toxic buildup.


A properly functioning liver is espe- cially crucial to cancer prevention. Failure of the body to remove environmental carcinogens, with deficiencies of nutrients needed for proper detoxification and im- munity, is thought to cause up to 90% of all cancers. In addition to the symptoms noted above, liver malfunction can also cause weight loss, disorientation, spleen enlargement, and kidney failure.


Types of Liver Disease Unlike acute liver failure, chronic


liver disease can develop slowly over time without causing any symptoms. Threats to overall liver function include toxins in food and the environment, several viruses and general immune system malfunction, genetic abnormalities, and drug overuse/ combination, and weight gain.


Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease


(NAFLD), the world’s most common form, is generally associated with various other liver-compromising chronic conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes/insulin resistance, dyslipidemia (excess blood levels of triglycerides, cholesterol and/or fat phospholipids), and metabolic syndrome.


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