Show your liver a little love: Tips for supporting liver health

Sitting just under your lower rib cage on the right side, weighing about 3 ½ pounds, is your body’s largest and heaviest internal organ—say hello to your liver!

Your liver performs essential functions for digesting food and getting rid of toxic substances. You can thank it for filtering out alcohol and harmful chemicals, absorbing nutrients, fighting infections and storing energy for when you need it.

“Whatever you eat, drink and breathe goes into your bloodstream and gets filtered by your liver,” said Jennifer Chuang, a Nutrilite™ research scientist.

That includes french fries to alcohol to cigarette smoke to harsh cleaning sprays—your liver tackles it all while breaking down and absorbing fats, metabolizing carbohydrates, managing bile levels and helping your body absorb and store nutrients, Chuang said.

For something working so hard, shouldn’t you do what you can to take care of it? We’ve got you covered with some tips to support your liver health.

Eat right

When you’re trying to eat healthy, the list of foods you should avoid in excess is lengthy. A good place to start is cutting down on trans fats and saturated fats. This means fried foods, white bread, sweets, fatty meat, cheese, whole milk and a whole lot more.

So what’s left on the menu? Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products, fish and lean cuts of meat, like chicken and turkey breast.

Filling up on the latter instead of the former will help you keep your weight under control, which is key to avoiding the risk of developing liver problems.

Keep moving

Research shows that exercising regularly is a great way to reduce liver fat, which also helps you stay out of the danger zone for liver problems.

So make sure to get out there and get moving. Experts recommend 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise every week.

Watch what you drink

Drinking a lot of alcohol can damage or destroy your liver cells, increasing the risk of liver problems. Your liver also has to work extra hard when you overindulge on drinks like coffee or sugary sodas.

Your best beverage choice is simply water. It helps cleanse the system of toxins. Sixty-four ounces a day is recommended.

Don’t smoke

This advice works with just about any situation. When it comes to your liver, smoking can damage or destroy your liver cells, increasing the risk for all sorts of liver problems.

Aerosol sprays: take precautions

Choose your cleaning products carefully, as some include chemicals that can damage your liver. If you’re using an aerosol spray, keep the room well ventilated to prevent inhaling the substance. Consider an air treatment system.

When spraying insecticides, fungicides, paint and other toxic chemicals, make sure you wear a mask, gloves and long sleeves.

Follow doctor’s orders

Make sure to follow doctor’s instructions when it comes to medicine, whether it’s over-the-counter or prescription.

Consult your physician if you’re taking more than one medication, and watch out for possible negative interactions with alcohol or other substances. Some combinations can be extra harmful for your liver.

Consider using a supplement

Milk thistle contains botanicals that provide antioxidant protection and support healthy liver function. Nutrilite™ Liver Support includes milk thistle in a formula that supports your normal metabolic activity to help your liver remove toxins from your body†. It also has dandelion root and turmeric.

Get your regular check ups

If you think you’re at risk for liver problems, make sure to get annual physicals. Your doctor can be on the lookout for warning signs. It’s also a good idea for your overall optimal health.

Learn more

Now you’re armed with the information you need to help your liver do its job. Get out there and show it some love! And to learn more about Nutrilite Liver Health and other Nutrilite supplements, please visit the websites for Amway US or Amway Canada.