Day 7: Cruising Down Liver’s Lane

If we miss a turn or get off at the wrong exit on a road trip, we don’t wildly whip the car in a U-turn or back down the ramp to return to the highway.

Sure, you need to get back on course, but you have to find ways to safely reverse what’s gone wrong. The same is true for organs like your liver.

The liver helps your body break down food and convert it into energy, detoxifies the blood, produces bile, aids in digesting fats, makes proteins vital to blood clotting and supports the immune system. However, liver disease can progress to liver failure, organ scarring, inflammation, cancer and can shorten our lifespans if left untreated.

Though we may associate this organ’s problems with heavy drinking, the most common form is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This condition, which affects 30% of Americans, is defined as the accumulation of excess fat in the liver, but people who have it don’t necessarily consume alcohol.

Still, any type of chronic liver disease can negatively impact your lifespan. NAFLD can cut your life short by up to three years, cirrhosis can reduce it by seven and alcohol-related liver disease can be fatal within two years of diagnosis. In fact, chronic liver disease is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.

And, unfortunately, the number of people with NFALD is on the rise. According to a recent study, the condition has risen by 127% among Black Americans, 133% among white Americans and 61% among Mexican Americans since 1988.

While anyone can get NAFLD, it’s more prevalent among men in their 40s and women in their 50s as well as people with pre-existing health “potholes” like a family history of liver disease, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and age.

But, unlike your car, smoke isn’t going to pour out from under your hood. Though some people experience fatigue, unexplained weight loss, stomach discomfort, difficulty concentrating or yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), most don’t have any symptoms of the disease.

And letting NAFLD go untreated can cause other problems, including putting you at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure. It also can lead to a combination of these conditions, often referred to as metabolic syndrome. It could even shave two years off your longevity journey (and alcohol-related liver disease can cut the trip short by as many as 12 years).

The good news is that it’s not too late to turn things around without any extreme maneuvers. In fact, studies show unloading as little as 7% to 10% of our “baggage” (yes, that’s a weight reference) can lead to reductions in liver fat and inflammation. It may also halt the progression of NAFLD.

So, keep your eyes on the road and we’ll help you navigate a few more ideas to make sure your liver is running smoothly.