From Obesity to Chronic Inflammation, 3 Evidence of Liver Toxicity

Hello, I am Jinny, a pharmacist.

If you are interested in losing weight, you have probably heard of ‘detox’ at least once. It literally means ‘removing toxins.’

So which organ in our body does detoxification? It's the liver. The liver detoxifies as much as 90% of toxic substances that come from outside or are produced by our body.

Therefore, if liver detoxification does not proceed smoothly, toxic substances spread throughout the body, threatening health. Let’s take a look at the health problems that arise when the liver does not detoxify.

The liver is the body's chemical factory. It performs the role of decomposing, synthesizing, and storing all the nutrients we ingest, and excreting what is not needed.

In particular, it is involved in fat metabolism, which is highly associated with obesity. In liver damage, fatty acid oxidation is reduced while fat synthesis is increased. The liver is also involved in the process of excreting various waste products produced in the body through feces and breaking down hormones that have completed their mission.

Therefore, when the liver is damaged, the remaining fat and waste cannot be properly processed and hormones become imbalanced, making it easy to gain weight.

Chronic inflammation is pointed out as the source of all diseases today. Acute inflammation causes an inflammatory response such as redness, swelling, and fever, but the inflammatory response ends when the harmful stimulus is removed. However, chronic inflammation is a ‘silent killer’ that progresses slowly over a long period of time and destroys our bodies.

In chronic inflammation areas, inflammatory substances are constantly produced, which damage surrounding tissues and cells. Therefore, academic circles believe that chronic inflammation increases the risk of diseases such as various cancers and cardiovascular diseases, as well as dementia and depression.

The cause of this chronic inflammation is various toxic substances introduced into or produced in the body due to drinking, smoking, poor eating habits, fine dust, etc. If the liver detoxification does not occur smoothly, various toxins cause chronic inflammation.

The brain and liver seem like they don’t have much to do with each other. No. If liver function declines, it can also cause damage to the central nervous system, including the brain. This is called ‘hepatic coma’, or more accurately, ‘hepatic encephalopathy’. In fact, hepatic encephalopathy occurs in 50-70% of patients with chronic liver failure.

What is the cause? This is because the liver is not detoxified properly. Proteins in the body are converted into a toxic substance called ammonia in the intestines, and the liver plays the role of detoxifying ammonia into other harmless substances.

Therefore, when liver function is seriously damaged, the concentration of ammonia, a toxic substance, increases, causing damage to the brain. Symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy can range from mild to disorientation (awareness of time or place), delirium, lethargy, and coma.

1) Reduce Your Carbohydrate Intake
If you consume excessive carbohydrates, the excess carbohydrates are synthesized into triglycerides, increasing the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Many people think that fatty liver is only caused by alcohol. When I look at patients who say they have fatty liver even though they don't drink much, the problem is often their eating habits centered on carbohydrates. In fact, 80% of fatty liver patients have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

2) Abstaining From Alcohol is Essential
Alcohol is a clear risk factor for liver health. When you drink alcohol, your liver works hard to detoxify the alcohol. This is because more than 90% of the alcohol consumed is broken down in the liver. Acetaldehyde, a toxic substance produced from the breakdown of alcohol, is the main culprit in liver damage.

3) Consume Antioxidants
Free radicals, which are oxygen residues generated during our body's metabolic processes, also threaten liver cells. Therefore, it would be helpful to consume antioxidant ingredients. If you look at foods and nutritional supplements known to be helpful for liver health, most of them contain antioxidants.

4) Be Careful About Consuming Unproven Green Juice
Even though natural ingredients are known to be good for health, highly concentrated green juice puts a burden on the liver. Ultimately, all the ingredients in green juice must be detoxified in the liver. To detoxify the liver, it is best to be careful with various green juices, mushroom juices, and medicinal herbs.

Today we looked at the importance of liver detoxification. Even at this very moment, the liver is fighting against toxins that threaten our bodies.

However, It does not show any condescension and remains silent. Because of this, no significant symptoms appear until about 70% of liver function is damaged.

For your liver that is always working hard for you, why not pay attention to liver detox in the new year?