Your liver is the most powerful metabolic organ in your body. If you look after your liver, you will increase your chances of having a long and healthy life. People with a sick liver typically experience a lot of fatigue and they are at risk of developing a number of serious diseases.

If your liver works well, it will enable all the other organs and systems in your body to work better. A healthy liver helps to protect you against cancer, obesity, dementia, type 2 diabetes and premature aging.

These are the ways your liver keeps you healthy:

Your liver detoxes your body

The liver converts toxic ammonia into urea, which can then be safely eliminated by the kidneys. Ammonia is an end product of protein metabolism. If ammonia builds up, even slightly, you will experience brain dysfunction. The liver removes and breaks down harmful toxins and drugs from nearly 100 gallons of blood per day. This includes internal and external environmental pollutants. The liver structure is a filter which removes unhealthy cells, cancer cells, dead cells, bacteria and other micro-organisms from the bloodstream so they can be destroyed in the liver. The liver filters the blood from the gut - all the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver.

Your liver regulates your blood sugar

The liver manufactures glucose and glycogen. This is vitally important to stabilize blood sugar levels and reduce cravings for sugary foods. It also helps to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Your liver regulates fat metabolism

The liver makes the fats cholesterol, lipoproteins and triglycerides. The liver keeps your blood fats in the healthy range. The liver burns fat so it helps to keep your weight under control.

Your liver is the protector of your immune system

The liver filter contains many immunologically active cells, acting as a 'sieve' for proteins carried to it from the intestinal blood. The liver filter (sieve) is altered by many factors such as stress, smoking, alcohol, aging, diabetes and environmental chemicals. An open (excessively permeable) liver sieve increases incidence of immune disorders and cancer. The liver manufactures immune factors which strengthen your immune defenses.

How you can protect your liver

  • Try to eat unprocessed, healthy foods in their natural state. Ideally base your diet on foods that don’t have an ingredients list.
  • Try to keep your weight in the healthy range. Carrying weight around your torso places a strain on your liver.
  • If you have excess iron levels in your blood, become a regular blood donor and you will see the levels come down.  Excess iron can harm the liver.
  • Take a vitamin C supplement to reduce free radicals attacking your liver. A daily dose of 1000mg to 2000mg of vitamin C is protective.
  • Take the herb Milk Thistle which has been proven to reduce liver damage in hundreds of clinical trials. You need a daily dose that supplies 420mg of silymarin, such as found in Livatone Plus
  • Take a selenium supplement such as Selenomune. Selenium can help the liver in many ways and is a powerful liver protector, by encouraging glutathione production. Selenium is a mineral which is able to enhance the repair of damage to the DNA in the nucleus of the liver cells. It also reduces the ability of viruses to replicate in your cells.
  • Take a supplement of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) which is an amino-acid derivative. NAC’s powerful health benefits derive from its ability to restore intracellular levels of glutathione. NAC neutralizes toxins and pollutants including heavy metals that accumulate in the liver, kidneys and fatty parts of the body. Restoring glutathione levels with NAC supplements makes liver cells more able to protect themselves from ongoing damage caused by fatty accumulation, viral infections, drug induced damage, alcohol excess or autoimmune inflammation.
  • Raw juicing can accelerate the repair of liver damage and improve immune function. Good things to juice include kale, cabbage, carrot, beet, ginger, lime, lemon, grapefruit, parsley, basil, and cilantro.
  • Eat super foods for the liver including garlic, onions, radishes, tahini, hemp and chia seeds
  • Fermented foods high in probiotics can also help and include miso, kefir, sauerkraut, and kim chi. They are able to improve gut health and thus reduce liver inflammation. If you don’t eat those foods regularly, a probiotic supplement like Floratone may help you.

 

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

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