The liver is an organ that is about the size of a football and sits under your rib cage. Your liver is always an essential component for digesting the food as well as helping the body in getting rid of toxic substances. Liver issues are very common these days. They may be inherited or even caused by a variety of factors that damage the liver. These factors include viruses and use of alcohol. Also one of the prominent things associated with liver damage is obesity.
Infection
Infection is one of the most prominent causes of liver issues. Parasites and viruses infect the liver that causes inflammation, thereby reducing the function of the liver. The viruses that majorly damage the liver can be spread through blood or semen, even contaminated food or water and also through close contact with an infected person. Hepatitis viruses are the most common liver infections.
Immune system abnormalities
Another important cause of liver issues is the immune system being abnormal. Certain diseases attack your immune system and other parts of your body thereby affecting your liver. These diseases include autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis and also primary sclerosing. In this, cirrhosis might even include permanent scarring of the liver that would, in turn, affect the functioning of the organ.
Genetics
Genetics also affect your liver. Inheriting an abnormal gene from one or both of your parents. It can cause various substances to build up in your liver thereby resulting in liver damage. These diseases affecting the liver include Hemochromatosis, Hyperoxaluria, and Oxalosis, Wilson’s disease among others. So, if you have developed an abnormal gene, it might make you prone to these liver diseases.
Alcohol-related causes
Though the amount of alcohol intake that would put a person at risk is not yet known, drinking excessive alcohol would definitely hurt your liver. The three stages related to alcohol-related liver damage are Hepatic steatosis also known as fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, alcoholic cirrhosis. Moreover, if your liver is already damaged by any other disease, drinking alcohol would worsen it. In order to recover from liver issues, you need to avoid alcohol.
Fat accumulation
In the case of obese or overweight people, fat generally gets build-up in the liver (steatosis) thus, affecting the functioning of the liver. Also, in cases where people have severe inflammation as well as progressive scarring, this may also lead to cirrhosis of the liver. This is also known as the Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease (NAFD). If you are suffering from this kind of disease, then you are at a higher risk of cardiovascular problems. If you are at an early stage of this disease best way to avoid it would be lesser fat intake. Losing weight as well as exercising regularly.
The liver’s job is to make sure that the body absorbs everything it needs and dumps everything it doesn’t need. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyle burdens the liver with many stresses, making its job even more difficult. Therefore, it is important to take care of your liver and eat certain foods and drinks that will cleanse your liver.
