Swasth Mitra
IS LIVER DISEASE PREVENTABLE? – REPORT
IS LIVER DISEASE PREVENTABLE?
Chief of GI & Liver Services, Aster CMI Hospital
Former President Indian Society of Gastroenterology
“ TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR LIVER,
AND IT WILL TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOU.”
Your liver is essential to your life…
Did you know the liver performs many functions essential for GOOD HEALTH & LONG LIFE?
When we think of our health and primary organs in the body, the usual suspects come to mind. We think of our hearts, kidneys and brain as some of the most important components to a healthy and prosperous life, but a primary organ that often gets forgotten is the liver.
The liver is just as vital an organ as the heart, but people often fail to appreciate the importance of keeping it healthy. A healthy liver is undoubtedly a key element to a healthy life. The choices you make on household product purchases, food consumption and daily activity can have positive or negative effects on your liver. When the liver gets sick, many problems can follow. Life style changes are key to prevention of liver disease.
Summary
Like our heart, the liver is a vital organ performing critical services. It is one of the organs that is susceptible to our food and lifestyle choices. Dr. Naresh Bhat began his riveting presentation by explaining the functions of the liver. The liver runs non-stop to provide critical functions like detoxification, cholesterol production, metabolism, immune system, blood sugar balance, bile production, protein synthesis and storage of glycogen. Do you know that the liver receives blood from both veins and arteries?
Dr Naresh explained the four stages of liver disease. A healthy liver turns to a fatty liver due to misuse. Further abuse causes scarring of the liver causing Hepatic Fibrosis. Continued negligence causes the liver to develop Cirrhosis resulting in severe scarring and disruption in liver function. This could lead to liver cancer.
He delved into the factors causing liver diseases. While viral infections (Hepatitis A, B, C and E) can harm the liver, the unquestionable causes includes obesity, sleep deprivation and use of medicines and supplements. The audience was astonished when he presented a list of allopathic medicines that can harm the liver. It was quite shocking to note that some of the allopathic drugs we use (example: pain killers) could cause liver damage. He quickly asserted that the herbal and Ayurvedic medicines (green tea extracts, Ashwagandha etc.) are equally culpable for causing liver damages.
He revealed that 60-70% of liver disorder is Non Alcoholic Liver Disease (NAFLD). He drew a strong correlation between obesity and NAFLD. It was stunning to note that around 40% of the cancer is caused by obesity. He highlighted that 42% of cancer cases are preventable. The preventable causes include smoking, obesity, alcohol, UV radiation, physical inactivity and poor diet.
He advised the diet to be followed for a healthy liver. He clarified that there is no significant medicine for fatty liver. What we put in our mouth decides the health of our liver. He advised against consumption of fruit juices and aerated sugary drinks. He extolled the benefits of exercise in maintaining a healthy liver. He strongly recommended 30-40 minutes of exercise per day.
The audience got enlightened on the harms caused by sleep deprivation. We tend to stretch our day due to work and social reasons. Dr. Naresh Bhat ended the session with a few lifestyle tips to keep our liver healthy.