If you think your workload is overwhelming, consider the tireless organ managing hundreds of tasks inside you — your liver.
About the size and shape of a football and located in the upper right abdomen just above the stomach and right kidney, the liver performs over 500 vital functions. These include filtering toxins, alcohol, and medications from the blood; producing bile to digest fats; and storing essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and glucose.
So dependable is the liver that it’s the only organ capable of repairing and regenerating itself even after damage or partial removal. Still, it has its limits.
“Generally, maintaining an unhealthy lifestyle has a direct impact on your liver,” says Dr. Angelo Lozada of top hospital Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed). “But ingesting certain substances that aren’t necessarily toxic could also do the liver harm. And like many diseases deemed ‘silent killers’ because they only present symptoms in their advanced stage, liver damage tends to go unnoticed because it shares similar symptoms with less life-threatening diseases.”
While some causes of liver damage are expected, others may surprise you.
Alcohol: This is top of mind when it comes to liver health. “But you don’t even have to do it in excess,” points out Dr. Lozada.
“As little as four ounces of a hard drink can scar your liver, which eventually leads to cirrhosis, or scar tissue that replaces healthy liver tissue, thus impeding blood flow to the organ. When this happens, the liver cannot function properly.”
To protect it, replace alcohol with water. “Drinking water helps the liver flush out toxins.”
Pain killers: These bring fast relief, but “make sure you follow the dosage recommended by your healthcare provider,” says Dr. Lozada.
“While over-the-counter pain killers like paracetamol, acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium are safe and effective to use, taking too much can harm the liver.”
Supplements: Despite being labeled “natural,” some can be harmful. “High doses of vitamin A, for instance, are not good for the liver. Best to get it from real food like salmon, leafy green vegetables, and orange and yellow veggies,” says Dr. Lozada.
Obesity: It increases your risk of fatty liver disease. “Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a consequence of being overweight and developing fat around your midsection, having type II diabetes, and living sedentarily,” says Dr. Lozada.
“Fix it by cutting sugary food and trans-fat from your diet, exercising regularly, and getting down to your ideal weight.”
Smoking: Toxins from cigarette smoke overwork the liver and can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer. “There is nothing beneficial in smoking cigarettes and vaping,” says Dr. Lozada. “Quit today.”
If you’ve been exposed to these risk factors — knowingly or not — it’s best to act early.
“Routine checkups, liver function tests, and even a simple abdominal ultrasound can help detect problems before they become serious,” advises Dr. Lozada. “Listen to your body, and take preventive action now. Your liver will thank you for it.”