The liver is an important organ in our human body that carries out various functions. Many unhealthy living habits may be hurting your liver.
Is staying up late harmful for the liver?
Many people tend to believe that sleeping late brings damage to our liver. However, there is still no direct evidence to support this claim.
Rigorously speaking, long-term irregular and deprived sleeping pattern will adversely impact the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system, resulting in the poor state of systemic organs, including the liver.
Therefore, long-term sleeping can be believed to indirectly associate with liver damages.
Here are four ways that you shall avoid to protect your liver.
Alcohol drinking
Alcohol contains large amounts of ethanol that can be converted into acetaldehyde that does harm to the liver.
Ethanol is metabolized in the liver to acetaldehyde first and then acetate in the gut and liver. However, acetaldehyde will build up in the liver because our guts aren’t good at breaking down this stuff.
Acetaldehyde left in the liver can damage liver cells, and even cause liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Too much fat consumption
The liver acts as a metabolizing hub for nutrients like sugar, protein and fat.
When food is digested by gastrointestinal tracts into nutrients that are transported through blood vessels into the liver.
The liver can not break down too much fat in the blood, and the buildup of fat remains can damage the liver and cause fatty liver.
Fatty liver can be treated and reversed, but if it is not paid attention, fatty liver cirrhosis, and even liver cancer will occur.
Medication abuse
The liver serves as a detoxification organ that can decompose toxic substances during drug metabolism.
Long-term use of drugs can lead to elevated liver enzymes. Always consult your health care professionals before taking any medications.
Liver protection supplements
When knowing that too much alcohol is not good for the liver, heavy drinkers may find some hangover cure supplements for help.
Theoretically, speeding up alcohol metabolism is the key to end hangover. Alcohol metabolism is dependent on certain enzymes. However, there are no supplements or drugs that can effectively activate these enzymes.
You shall always pay attention to the ingredients of supplements. Some liver protection supplements with unclaimed ingredients can cause the burden of liver.