How to improve liver function

Your liver is one of the hardest working organs in your body, performing hundreds of vital tasks to help your body run smoothly. Some of these functions include:

• Detoxification — Filtering the blood and breaking down harmful toxins and chemicalsinto less toxic substances for excretion/removal from the body.
• Producing bile — Bile breaks down dietary fats and helps with the absorption of essential nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E and K.
• Converting carbohydrates — The liver converts carbohydrates into glucose for instant energy and stores glucose (as glycogen) for later use, ensuring a steady supply of energy for the body.
• Cholesterol production — Making cholesterol and other fats that are needed by the body.
• Immune system — Supporting your immune system. The liver detects, captures and clears bacteria and viruses.

How do I improve liver function?

There are many things you can do to help improve liver function. Incorporate these easy, cost-effective, healthy lifestyle choices into your day:

Maintaining a healthy weight

Prevent fatty liver by maintaining not just a healthy weight but also a healthy waist measurement. A healthy waist circumference for women should be under 80 cm and for men under 94 cm.

Exercising regularly to reduce fatty liver risk

Regular exercise can help you maintain healthy body weight, reduce inflammation and help reduce your risk of fatty liver.

Mediterranean-style diet for liver health

The Mediterranean-style diet features a high consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, and complex carbohydrates, with moderate consumption of fish and the use of olive oil as the primary source of fats. This style of diet is rich in antioxidants, good fats and other beneficial nutrients. In terms of liver health, beneficial effects include weight loss, healthy glucose metabolism, and healthy blood fats production.

Milk thistle to support your liver

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been used since the time of ancient physicians and herbalists. According to traditional use ormodern research, milk thistle:

• Supports liver function

• Supports liver detoxification processes

• Providing antioxidant effects — Molecules called flavonoids found in milk thistle, such as silymarin and silybin, have been found to have antioxidant propertiesand help to reduce damaging free‐radicals. Milk thistle increases blood levels of the potent antioxidant glutathione.

Avoid toxins to help care for your liver

Reducing your exposure to environmental toxins will help ease the burden on your liver and help support liver function.

Reduce alcohol intake

Reducing your alcohol consumption can help protect your liver and ease the burden on the detoxification pathways, helping support healthy liver function.

Your liver is one of the hardest working organs in your body, particularly in today’s modern world of stress, pollution and fast foods. Taking the time to eat well, exercise and reduce toxins to protect your liver, will help improve liver function and help you maintain a healthier liver as you age.

Using herbs such as milk thistle may support liver function. Speak to your healthcare practitioner to see if supplementation is right for you.

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