Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Changing lifestyles have not only affected the heart and other organs, but also one of the most vital organs, liver. Experts say that the number of patients suffering from fatty liver and other liver disorders is increasing continuously, thanks to a sedentary lifestyle and obesity.
“Due to a sedentary lifestyle, the number of obese people is increasing and obesity is directly affecting the liver as fat starts depositing on the liver and it starts shrinking. Earlier, only two patients out of 10 were found suffering from liver disorders. But, now, eight patients reaching us are suffering from liver diseases,” said gastroenterologist Dr Ajay Jain. He said that liver is the one of the most important and second-largest organs of our body. It is also considered one of the most complex organs that perform crucial body functions and is associated with a person's digestion, immunity, metabolism and nutrition storage. To mark its importance and awareness of its functions and liver-related diseases, World Liver Day is celebrated on April 19 each year.
“If any man has a waist size of more than 90 cm and woman has a waist size of more than 80 cm, they may be suffering from liver diseases. Unlike in European countries, people in our country get obese from the centre, that is from the stomach, which increases the chances of suffering from liver disease,” Dr Jain said.
Meanwhile, gastroenterologist of Super Speciality Hospital Dr Amit Agrawal said increasing consumption of junk food had become the reason for fatty liver and liver cirrhosis. “People must keep monitoring their BMI as BMI over 25 may lead to liver diseases,” Dr Agrawal said.
Tips to keep your liver healthy
According to Dr Agrawal, “Liver disease does not show very obvious symptoms until the damage is serious. Common symptoms like loss of appetite and weight loss can be seen if the disease has spread to a large part of the organ. It is, therefore, important to take care of the liver.”
Some tips are given to keep your liver healthy and happy:
1. Eating a balanced diet is the first and foremost way of taking care of your liver and your body. Your diet must include cereal, fresh fruits, fiber-rich vegetables, bread and rice
2. Make sure that you drink plenty of water as keeping your body hydrated can help with your liver too
3. It is important that you maintain a healthy weight as an increase in weight can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
4. Drinking too much alcohol can damage and ultimately destroy liver cells. It is, therefore, advisable to drink alcohol only in moderation and, if possible, abjure it completely
5. Smoking can also affect your liver adversely by enhancing toxic effects that some medications have on the liver. Try to steer clear of cigarettes
6. Similarly, one should avoid taking drugs like pain relievers, stimulants, sedatives and so forth without taking prescriptions from a doctor
Liver Cleansing Tips
There are some foods that can cleanse your liver and keep it functioning as new. These are basic items that can be included in your day-to-day diet:
1. Use olive oil for making food
2. Include garlic and turmeric in your food
3. Fruits like grapefruit, apple, walnuts, etc should be included in your diet
4. Intake of lemon and lime juice is beneficial
5. Add leafy vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and so forth to your diet
