Your liver performs critically important detoxification in your body. When a problem arises with the liver’s ability to detoxify, you can develop symptoms like memory loss or fatigue.
You can be proactive and support a healthy liver. The mitochondria of liver cells contain a family of enzymes called cytochrome P450. Cytochrome P450s are responsible for processing a variety of substances including toxins and nutrients that enter the liver. These metabolic products are either secreted by the liver cells into the bile and then excreted in the feces or filtered by the kidneys into the urine and excreted out of the body. The liver can metabolize nutrients, drugs, and toxins through cytochrome P450s.
However, your liver cannot metabolize heavy metals, so they will accumulate in your liver.
Symptoms that Indicate Liver Damage
When the liver is impaired, its detoxification function will be affected. Depending on the degree of liver damage, the following symptoms may occur, from mild to severe.
- Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and loss of appetite
- A feeling of distension in the right side of the abdomen, because the liver is located on the right side
- Your medication seems to be too strong. Poor metabolic function causes the concentration of the medication to increase.
- Getting tired easily
- The sclera (i.e., whites of the eyes) turn yellow and the color of urine is as dark as black tea These two symptoms indicate that the liver is starting to deteriorate
- When both hands are straightened, the hands start to shake slightly and the wrists will sway.
- Memory loss and inability to concentrate
- In more severe cases, ascites (i.e., the stomach resembling a water balloon) or coma may occur
Limitations on What the Liver Can Metabolize
Cytochrome P450s have limitations in what they can metabolize. Other factors that may inhibit the liver’s ability to detoxify the body include:
Foods
Certain moldy foods may contain a toxin called aflatoxin. These foods include moldy soybeans, peanuts, grains, and cereals.
Aflatoxin is a secondary metabolite produced by two types of molds, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. This toxin is metabolized by the liver, and its metabolic products can lead to liver cell damage and mutations. It may even cause cancer in the liver.
In addition, grapefruit contain large amounts of flavonoids, which may impact the liver’s metabolic function for certain antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, anti-arrhythmic or diabetic medicines, and sleeping medications.
The effects will last at least six to eight hours and may last up to 24 hours. This may result in the accumulation of drugs in the body, producing toxic and reinforcing side effects. Therefore, if you are taking these drugs, it is recommended that you ask your doctor if you should avoid grapefruit.
Other citrus fruits such as pomelos, bitter oranges, limes, tangerines, and oranges may also affect drug metabolism. Their flavonoid content is lower than grapefruit, but still high enough that you should consult with your doctor if you are taking certain medications.
Medications
Some people take multiple medications, such as patients with several chronic diseases. However, if too many drugs are taken at the same time, drug interactions may occur and affect liver metabolism.
Some drugs may be metabolized too quickly, making them less effective; others may be under-metabolized and accumulate too much in the body, thus increasing toxicity and side effects.
In addition, some drugs can inhibit cytochrome P450s, which in turn reduces their metabolic function, resulting in the inability of cytochrome P450s to metabolize other drugs. As a result, these drugs are rendered ineffective.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a leading cause of liver damage, which can lead to alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and serious impairment of the liver’s detoxification function. People often think that only alcohol abuse hurts the liver. However, only four ounces of alcohol per day for men and two ounces for women can scar the liver.
Liver Disease
The more normal liver cells there are, the more cytochromes and the better the liver’s metabolic capacity. In general, the elderly have fewer liver cells, and their livers are less able to detoxify than young people.
In addition to drug-induced hepatitis and alcoholic hepatitis, other liver diseases such as fatty liver and viral hepatitis (e.g., hepatitis B and C) can cause more liver cells to become inflamed and lose their original function, resulting in fewer normal liver cells and thus affecting metabolism.
People with cirrhosis and liver fibrosis may have their liver cells replaced by scar tissue. The result is that the liver cells become fewer and less metabolic.
liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, their liver cells are replaced with scar tissue, and their liver cells become fewer and less metabolic.
4 Major Ways to Protect the Liver and Boost Its Detoxification and Metabolic Functions
There are four beneficial habits that can be cultivated in daily life to help the liver maintain an excellent metabolic detoxification function.
1. Consume all-natural foods and avoid processed foods
Our daily diet should be based on all-natural foods, and we should avoid highly processed foods high in white carbohydrates and sugars. This should lower your consumption of foods that the liver needs to metabolize and detoxify, thus reducing the burden on the liver.
2. Consume fresh fruits and vegetables
Adding colorful fruits and vegetables to a meal can give you a variety of phytochemicals and vitamins. These nutrients can help increase the body’s ability to fight free radicals and improve inflammation.
The fruits and vegetables that are beneficial to liver health include cabbage, broccoli, white radish, Brussels sprouts, and collard greens. Cruciferous vegetables contain indoles, which increase the liver’s ability to detoxify and metabolize environmental toxins including environmental hormones.
In addition to cruciferous vegetables, cilantro, citrus fruits, beets, sweet potatoes, yams, avocados, bananas, cherries, figs, papayas, pomegranates, watermelons, and many others can be helpful. Keep in mind the info above about citrus fruit and certain medications. Check with your doctor first.
3. Reduce alcohol consumption and double-check medications
In general, you should reduce alcohol consumption and avoid medications not prescribed by your doctor to reduce the burden on the liver. Patients with multiple chronic diseases who are not sure if the medications they are currently taking will affect one another can consult their pharmacist or physician.
4. Exercise regularly
Regular exercise helps us maintain a healthy body, and helps prevent fatty liver. Your body mass index (BMI) should be kept below 24.
The liver is an organ with high blood flow. Another benefit of exercising is that it can promote blood circulation and increase blood flow to the liver, which helps with metabolism. In addition, make sure you get adequate, restful sleep. This is necessary for the liver to rest and repair.