World Liver Day: Your cue to get your liver in top shape
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — If you are one of the thousands of Filipinos who partied over the summer vacation and the recent week-long break, now's your chance to reset and be kind to your liver! World Liver Day is our cue to look after our liver and take the necessary lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of developing liver disease.
The second largest organ in your body, the liver works non-stop with over 500 critical functions. This includes removing all toxins, clearing medication from your body, and breaking down all your food. The liver also regulates your body's hormone levels, builds protein, adjusts cholesterol levels, stores sugars for when you really need it, and processes fat, among others.
With liver failure, the body will be in deep trouble. No person can live without a functional liver for a week, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Warning signs of fatty liver disease
When not treated in time, fatty liver disease can lead to liver cirrhosis — the formation of scar tissue on top of normal areas of tissue. What follows liver cirrhosis, without treatment, is acute on chronic liver failure, which may be fatal. Unless it is in the advanced stage, the symptoms of liver damage are often silent or invisible and are easily missed out in primary care.
Your liver needs care, too. Here's how:
1. Get a liver check-up.
Maximize your annual physical examination (APE) to include liver screening. Specifically request a blood test to determine whether liver enzymes, such as ALT, AST, and bilirubin, are elevated.
2. Watch your weight.
Exercise and eat a balanced diet regularly, especially if you're obese. A fat belly is a signal that you are at risk of fatty liver disease.
Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends maintaining your body mass index in the normal range (18 to 25) to decrease your risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. You can also control diabetes and cholesterol with diet and regular physical activity.
3. Avoid alcohol, drugs, and food that damage the liver.
Do not drink alcohol in excess. Tinsay Ambachew Woreta, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine said that on a routine basis, men should not consume more than three drinks per day, and women should not consume more than two drinks per day to prevent the development of alcoholic liver disease.
Don't consume uncooked oysters and shellfish, which can harbor bacteria that are dangerous to people with advanced liver disease. Be wary also of drugs and supplements that can damage the liver.
Take safe liver supplements like (Phospholipids) Essentiale Forte P
On the bright side, clinical studies have found that several pharmacotherapeutics agents can regenerate, restore, and strengthen the liver. One of these are the phospholipids, by-products of the soybean oil refining process.
Phospholipids like Essentiale Forte P, manufactured by French healthcare company Sanofi, are used as a nutritional support in the management of damaged liver. With multiple clinical studies showing the effects of essential phospholipids in regenerating, restoring, and strengthening the liver, Sanofi affirms that taking two capsules of (Phospholipids) Essentiale Forte P, three times a day, will help keep the liver strong, helping to power up the body's functions to help live a strong life.
(Phospholipids) Essentiale Forte P sets off its Triple Action Care — helping it restore damaged liver cells, strengthen them, and protect them against toxins with proper diet, exercise, and sleep.
So this World Liver Day, "Be Liver Strong, Be Strong In Life". (Phospholipids) Essentiale Forte P fuels the vitality of your liver's performance, so your efforts and your body are always working for you.
If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
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