Some car owners sink their time, money and effort into caring for their high-performance vehicle. Others care only the bare minimum, ignoring the oil leaks, the spreading rust or the concerning noises, just hoping that it will always start up in the morning.
Your liver is your body’s engine, and the reality is that when your liver stops and breaks down, your body does too.
Your liver requires high-quality fuel, regular maintenance, hazard protection and some loving care. Filling up your liver with the wrong stuff and leaving it idle for too long can cause liver diseases like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to develop.
NAFLD is a liver disease which starts with fat accumulation in the liver without excessive alcohol consumption. Despite it affecting over 7 million people in Canada, close to 90% of Canadians report having little to no knowledge of the disease ever before. Unfortunately, if left untreated, NAFLD may progress to more advanced disease, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The good news is that NAFLD can often be prevented or even reversed if it is detected before permanent liver damage has occurred.
The Canadian Liver Foundation would like to share critical ‘engine’ information with you, so that you can take a detour towards liver health!
The obesity crisis is taking its toll on the liver with potentially deadly consequences. Research shows that 1 in 4 Canadians may be affected by liver disease due primarily to the rapidly rising prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease linked to obesity, lack of physical activity and poor eating habits. This progressive disease is predicted to overtake hepatitis C as the leading cause of liver transplants.
An Ipsos survey conducted by the Canadian Liver Foundation revealed that;
Don’t let liver disease get in your way, read more and take a detour towards liver health!
My name is Debbie Kleiboer. In the summer of 2010, I was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common liver disease in Canada. In a short period, my life changed completely. Over the next two years, my condition deteriorated so much that I needed a liver transplant. Thankfully my brother David was a match, and I received my gift of life on April 18, 2012.
It is estimated that 20% of Canadians have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD often has no symptoms and may be living silently in your body until it reaches an advanced stage (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or “NASH“), where cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure can be developed.
This Liver Health Month, take a short quiz to find out if you are at risk. (English) or (French)
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Your liver, the largest internal organ in the body, is located in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, immediately under the diaphragm. It is divided into lobes; a large right lobe and a smaller left lobe that tapers to a tip.
Your liver works hard 24 hours a day, providing your body with energy, fighting off infections and toxins, helping clot the blood, and regulating hormones. If you thought that was enough, consider that this complex and vital organ performs over 500 functions.
Every day your liver…
When your engine stalls…
The liver is a resilient, maintenance-free organ, which is why it so often gets ignored—until something goes wrong. Because of its wide range of responsibilities, the liver often comes under attack by progressive diseases like obesity, viruses, toxic substances (including alcohol) and contaminants.
Just like a worn-out engine, symptoms of liver disease can seem minor and easy to ignore. The liver is such a strong organ that it will continue working even when two-thirds of it has been damaged by scarring (cirrhosis).
The good news is that some liver diseases can often be prevented or even reversed if detected before permanent liver damage has occurred. You and your family can make lifestyle changes to prevent NAFLD.
Encouraging your family to take walks together or parking a little further from the grocery store entrance are great places to start. Eating foods that are low in saturated (animal) fats, as well as plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and limiting consumption of sugary foods and drinks are all long-term goals that can make a tremendous impact on your liver health.
Liver disease consists of over 100 different forms and can be caused by a variety of factors including obesity, alcohol, genetics, autoimmune disorders, drugs, toxins, hepatitis viruses and cancer. Cirrhosis is often considered to be a liver disease and may be the only liver-related condition that many people have ever heard of. While not a disease, cirrhosis is a condition that results from permanent damage or scarring of the liver. It is the end stage of many forms of liver disease.
Statistics show that liver disease is on the rise. 1 in 4 Canadians may be affected by liver disease, including everyone from newborns to older adults. Liver disease can affect people from all walks of life regardless of age, sex, ethnic background, socio-economic status or lifestyle.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) begins when fat builds-up in the liver of someone who drinks little to no alcohol. The extra fat and sugar from the food we eat are stored in the liver as fat cells, making the liver more vulnerable to injury. The most severe form of NAFLD is called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which occurs when the liver starts to get inflamed and can lead to cirrhosis (scarring), liver cancer, the need for a liver transplant over even death.
The most common cause of NAFLD in Canada is obesity, and it can develop in children as young as two years old. In general, people with NAFLD have no symptoms, with very few reporting ‘flu-like symptoms’ or discomfort in the right-upper side of their belly.
There is currently no drug available to treat NAFLD. However, leading a healthy lifestyle with proper diet and activity habits have been shown to reverse the disease if detected early and not significant damage has occurred. A healthy lifestyle can also prevent your risk of developing NAFLD in the first place.
Just like a car engine, significant damage to your liver can be masked by seemingly insignificant symptoms. This often makes it difficult to diagnose liver diseases, especially when some symptoms (if any), can easily be mistaken for other health problems, such as the flu.
Your doctor or “mechanic” may look for signs of liver disease such as yellowing of skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice), a swollen belly or tenderness in the area of the liver.
They may use blood tests to determine if your liver is functioning correctly and to discover what may be affecting your liver.
In the case of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), two other methods are used to help indicate its existence. Calculating a patient’s Body Mass Index (BMI) will determine if you are at an unhealthy weight due to your height and weight (though it varies for different ethnic groups). Another critical indicator would be the size of your waist. Many people with NAFLD carry a lot of fat around their midsection.
Every day you make decisions that affect your liver health. The choices you make on household product purchases, food consumption and daily activity can have positive or negative effects on your liver.
If your doctor suspects that you may have liver disease, he/she will want to discuss any possible risk factors to which you may have been exposed. These risk factors may include:
Learn more about different risks and what you can do to keep your liver safe.
He was fortunate that his doctor did bloodwork when he came in complaining about a pain in his side that he thought was just a pulled muscle. Tests showed elevated liver enzymes, and after a referral to a liver specialist, he was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Put these key tips into the ignition and get on the road to a liver healthy life! Incorporating these easy everyday tips on nutrition, daily activity, exercise and sleep can help decrease your risk of NAFLD/NASH and increase your chances of feeling more energized and less stressed!
A change in diet plays a significant part in how NAFLD may be treated and certainly how it can be prevented. Consuming too much sugar and saturated fat in your diet can have a similar effect as too much alcohol—fat build-up in the liver. Although there is no specific ‘liver healthy diet,’ these general guidelines of what and how much to eat can help ensure that your liver is functioning at its best!
Recognizing the difference between physical activity and exercise is the first step to living a lifestyle filled with more movement! While exercise is something best done with a moderate to high intensity and a structured routine, the goal of physical activity is do anything you can that gets you moving and can be physically demanding.
Remember: Make sure you or your loved one stay hydrated, even during physical activities. Carrying a water bottle during any physical activity is recommended.
Heading home after a long day, most of us would just like to rest, relax and rid ourselves of stress. The last thing on the mind may be getting some exercise. But did you know that eating a ton of fatty or sugary foods and not getting enough physical activity puts stress on your liver? To continue reading click here
If you were to weigh how important sleep is to your liver health, how far high up or down would it fall on the list? Sleep affects so many parts of life like our mental health, and it should be valued just as much as eating right and getting enough physical activity throughout the day. Many Canadians do not get enough sleep, and the impact can be seen on their liver health.
Insufficient sleep has been linked to a number of poor physical and mental health concerns, including an increased risk for developing a fatty liver. Lack of sleep can contribute to changes in your overall metabolism (like insulin resistance) that may affect the way your liver converts nutrients from the foods you eat, making it harder to maintain a healthy body weight. It can also make you feel more tired and sleepy during the day which also affects your overall physical activity level.
Health Canada recommends that getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep per night for adults is essential to maintain your health. Children need even more sleep time. Current guidelines recommend 9–11 hours of sleep per night for children ages 5–13 years old, and. 8–10 hours of sleep per night for children 14–17 years old.
Sleeping the recommended hours isn’t the only recipe for obtaining a healthy ‘sleep routine.’ It is also important to maintain a good pattern of sleep without interruptions that may prevent you from getting a good rest.
Lack of sleep can be due to a condition called sleep apnea. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea. One of the most common types of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, caused by your throat muscles relaxing and affecting the way air enters your lungs.
Common signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring while sleeping, waking up gasping for air several times a night, morning headache, irritability and feeling sleepy during the day. If you think you may have any of these symptoms, speak to your doctor or health care provider.
Just like a vehicle, your liver can come under attack from all sorts of contaminants, chemicals, toxins and other aspects ready to slow you down. Also like a car, modern medicine has allowed us to take precautions and avoid these hazards by staying informed and up-to-date with some of these suggested tips.
Prevention is the best way to ensure your liver is functioning at peak performance. Be sure to see your doctor for regular checkups so she/he can identify potential problems before they start. Take extra care by asking your doctor for a liver test.
Your vehicle is equipped with various warning lights to indicate when there’s a problem. Unfortunately, your liver’s warning lights may not be as clear. Signs of liver disease can often be misinterpreted, such as flu-like symptoms, fatigue, or lack of appetite. If you have any of these symptoms and/or abdominal pain, dark urine, or jaundice, consult your doctor.
Regular visits to your mechanic will help keep your vehicle running well.
Are you looking for a health care provider? Here’s how we can help.
Join us on our efforts to increase awareness of liver health, and help us continue bringing liver research to life. Here is what you can do:
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