Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can be very damaging to your liver. Your liver is probably not an organ you think about much, but it plays a big role in your digestion system. You do not have to do much to keep your liver healthy. However, once it is damaged, it can cause you a lot of issues. Learn more about how to keep this vital organ in good shape.
How-to Keep Your Liver Healthy: Drinking in Moderation
Important Organ
First, you must understand what the liver does. This organ is about the size of a football. It is located under your lower ribcage on the right side. The liver has several important jobs. For example, it helps to keep your blood clean. It does this by getting rid of harmful chemicals that your body makes. When your liver is not functioning properly, it may not be able to filter out these chemicals. Also, your liver helps to break down fat from food by creating bile. Lastly, it stores glucose, which can give you a boost of energy when you need it.
Damage from Alcohol
The amount of alcohol you drink has a direct relationship to if you can keep your liver healthy. When you drink alcohol, your liver has to filter out the toxic chemicals. Excessive drinking can lead to fatty liver. The liver turns glucose into fat, which it sends around the body to store for use when we need it. Alcohol effects how your liver handles fat, causing the fat to build up in the liver. Luckily, in this stage, this process is reversible if you cut back on drinking.
When your liver has to process alcohol, there is a reaction that actually causes liver cells to die. As the liver tries to repair itself it can lead to scarring and inflammation. Over a long period of time and excessive drinking, this can ultimately lead to the deadly condition called cirrhosis. Unlike fatty liver, once the liver has damage from cirrhosis, it can not be undone. Liver failure is deadly and can require a liver transplant.
In order to keep your liver healthy, limit the amount of alcohol that you drink. You may not think about your liver on a regular basis. However, if something happens to your liver, you will sure wish you took care of it!