Welcome to another edition of MedChunk’s Health Bulletin where we strive to make health topics easy to understand. In today’s edition, we will take a look at some of the foods that help heal the liver.
Tucked in the upper right abdomen under the ribs and below the diaphragm, a liver holds up to 13 percent of a person’s blood supply and is a star player in the digestive system. Our liver is very cool. It knows when to detoxify and when to remove the toxins from the body through urine or stool.
Our liver also knows when to store the nutrients and when to release them back into the blood. The liver is a superstar in our body.
There are many types of liver disease, which can be caused by infections, inherited conditions, obesity, and misuse of alcohol. Even if you don’t drink heavily, there are many reasons your liver might be under too much stress in this day and age.
So, what are some effective ways of detoxing your liver? Let us know in detail.
The food you eat can make a big difference in the health of your liver. Fatty, salty, or sugary foods can all make matters worse, while others may help cleanse or even repair this crucial organ.
Foods to reduce the damage caused by liver disease
- Turmeric
Several studies suggest that turmeric, or a compound it contains called curcumin, plays a role in treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It helps to protect the liver from liver diseases and injury by reducing inflammation, minimizing oxidative stress, and improving lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
Turmeric is a popular herbal dietary supplement that has been considered safe. Turmeric helps repair damaged liver tissues promoting good liver health. With its effectiveness suggested in many studies so far, more resources and studies will turn to discover just how powerful this wonder spice could be to help those with liver issues.
- Grapefruit.
The grapefruit is a subtropical citrus tree known for its relatively large, sour to semi-sweet, somewhat bitter fruit. Grapefruit is a rich source of antioxidants and has been found to boost immunity.
Japanese scientists carried out an experiment in which they fed lab rats grapefruit juice, oroblanco juice, and sugar mix. After one week, the rats were injected with a procarcinogen. The rats that were fed grapefruit juice were found to have a quicker and more active expression of liver enzymes that helped in detoxification.
Caution: Grapefruit inhibits enzymes in your liver responsible for metabolizing certain drugs. This can affect the way your medicines work and have dangerous results. Talk to your doctor before eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice if you are prescribed medication.
- Beetroot
The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant. Beetroot contains antioxidants called betalains that exhibit potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects to reduce oxidative stress.
Beetroot juice has traditionally been used as a remedy to activate liver enzymes and increase bile, which helps the liver’s detox function. A rat study showed that long-term feeding of beetroot juice could help reduce DNA damage and liver injury induced by oxidative stress
- Prickly pear
The fruit and juice of the prickly pear may also be beneficial to liver health. A recent study in rats with obesity suggests that compounds in the fruit may be beneficial in the treatment of NAFLD. However, human studies are necessary to confirm this. Most research focuses on extracts from the fruit, however, so studies that focus on the fruit or juice itself may also be necessary.
- Fatty fish
Oily fish is rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce inflammation and potentially lower the risk of liver damage. Consuming fatty fish may help reduce the impact of conditions such as NAFLD. Fatty fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are good fats that help reduce inflammation. These fats may be especially helpful in the liver, as they appear to prevent the buildup of excess fats and maintain enzyme levels in the liver.
- Coffee and Green tea
A new study has found that drinking coffee is associated with a lowered risk of chronic liver disease and other liver health conditions. Your liver might be grateful for those morning cups of coffee or coffee breaks in office.
Studies reveal that coffee is an excellent choice to detoxify the liver with its antioxidant properties. In addition, they also protect you from chronic liver diseases, thanks to their positive influence on liver enzymes.
Recent studies have shown that green tea has a certain degree of both preventive and therapeutic effects on liver disease. For tea lovers, switching to green tea may be promising as it reduces overall fat content and keeps you at a safe distance from other signs of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
- Nuts
From a sufficient amount of antioxidants to unsaturated fatty acids, nuts are well-equipped to protect your liver against NAFLD and liver inflammation.
Walnuts, almonds, and pecans are some of the many options you can choose to snack away. Of all types of nuts, walnuts are amongst the most beneficial for reducing fatty liver disease. This is thanks to their higher antioxidant and fatty acid content. Walnuts have the most omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as polyphenol antioxidants.
Having said that, keep a check on the quantity as they consist of high amounts of calories.
An important organ like the liver needs your utmost care so that it carries out its activities as desired.
I hope you got a lot of information about some liver-friendly foods from this article. I write articles on health every day. Please share this article with your friends.