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The Functioning of Your Liver

The liver is a vitally important organ in the body with many functions. In fact, the British Liver Trust say that it has over 500 functions including:-

-   Breaking down carbohydrates and converting them into glycogen for energy.

-   Fighting infections by destroying bacteria.

-   Detoxifying harmful substances in the blood and removing fats from the blood.

-    Producing bile.

-   Eliminating excess hormones.

-   Regulating blood sugar levels.  

-   Burning fat.

An unhealthy diet can put our liver at risk and may well overload it and block it with excess waste products. If the liver becomes fatty, it cannot cleanse the bloodstream efficiently and the blood will become full of toxins and fat. This can lead to sugar cravings, weight gain, fatigue, liver disease, auto-immune problems and type 2 diabetes.  This is especially true during menopause and aging.

According to Dr Sandra Cabot, AKA The Liver Doctor, 15-20 % of the general American population have a fatty liver and there is an even higher incidence in obese people. However, a fatty liver can be made healthy again by making changes to our diet and lifestyle. We can keep our liver healthy, or heal it, by avoiding foods that put stress on it:-

-   Processed foods – Research at the Children's Hospital in Boston has shown that eating processed, high glycemic foods creates fatty livers.

-   Sugars and Fast-Food -  If you have seen Morgan Spurlock's film “Supersize Me” then you know what damage he did to his liver in a very short time of eating fast food. Dr Bruce Tetri of Saint Louis University Liver Center conducted experiments on mice, feeding them a diet high in fat and high-fructose corn syrup to replicate the American fast -food diet. After 4 weeks, the mice all had raised liver enzyme levels signaling liver damage.  

-   Alcohol – Large amounts are toxic to the liver.

-   Margarine – Margarine usually contains unhealthy hydrogenated fat.

-   Caffeine – According to Dr Linda Rector-Paige, author of “Healthy Healing”, caffeine can lodge in the liver and prevent it from functioning efficiently.

-   Salt – Eating excess salt causes fluid retention which puts a lot of strain on the liver.

By avoiding or cutting down on these foods, we can keep our liver healthy and help it to help us lose weight by burning fat.