Want to live longer and healthier? Start loving your liver.

happy liver, happy life.

Most people associate the word liver with alcohol use (or abuse) and extreme detox cleanses. While the liver is involved in processing alcohol and other toxins, its job doesn't stop there. As the largest internal organ in the body, the liver performs over 500 functions on a daily basis!

The Liver's Many Functions

Amongst other things, the liver:

• Processes harmful or excess substances in the body for elimination. This includes alcohol, viruses, bacteria, food, sugar, chemicals, metals and hormones.

• Metabolizes proteins, carbohydrates and fats, so your body can use them for energy and other processes.

• Makes bile, a fluid that helps the body break down fats.

• Helps to control the level of cholesterol in the blood

• Stores glycogen (a form of glucose) and vitamins to be used by the body later

• Gets rid of old red blood cells

• Produces substances that help blood clot

• Regulates the amount of blood in the body

Not only is the liver incredibly busy, it's also the only organ that can completely regenerate. However, as versatile and resilient as the liver is, unhealthy lifestyle choices and environmental factors can cause it to be overloaded and incapacitated, leading to a host of symptoms and diseases that may not be obviously related to liver function. Furthermore, liver dysfunction can occur even if you never touch alcohol.

For example, a diet high in added sugars and processed foods results in excess fat in the body (in scientific terms, excess blood glucose gets stored as triglycerides by the hormone insulin). This excess fat not only leads to weight gain and systemic inflammation, but the fat itself accumulates inside of organs, causing organ dysfunction. Because it is so intimately involved in regulating blood glucose, the liver is one of the main organs where fat accumulates.

When this happens it's termed Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is extremely common, affecting up to 25% of the world's population. Sadly, it is not uncommon to see children experiencing NAFLD as well. While people with advanced stage NAFLD may experience fatigue, jaundice, nausea or pain, many people with the disease have no symptoms at all. Left untreated, NAFLD can progress to cirrhosis, liver failure or cancer.

There are other lifestyle factors that encourage your body to store fat and remain in a state of inflammation, such as environmental toxins, infections, chronic stress, poor sleep, and lack of exercise.

Additionally, the liver plays a crucial role in maintaining hormone balance, acting as a central hub for hormone synthesis, metabolism, and regulation. It also responds to hormones, making it a key player in the endocrine system.

Therefore, hormonal imbalances can affect liver health, and conversely, liver conditions can disrupt hormone balance. Thus, conditions such as diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, and issues with sex hormones are often accompanied by liver dysfunction.

Needles to say, when the liver is under attack, it cannot perform its duties and multiple body systems suffer. However, rather than approaching liver health with a "crisis management" state of mind, aim to support the liver with consistent healthy habits each day.

1. Antioxidant-Rich Foods

A diet rich in antioxidant foods can serve as a natural intervention for supporting liver health. Antioxidant compounds work to manage oxidative stress, which can greatly damage the liver.

In nature, antioxidants come in the form of colorful produce. I tell all my clients to "eat the rainbow", striving to get a mix of colors onto their plate at every meal. Download my Eat the Rainbow handout below for more info and inspiration.

Eat the Rainbow!

2. Foods High in Sulfur

Foods rich in sulfur compounds, like garlic, onions, cruciferous vegetables, lentils, eggs and seafood are another natural aid in supporting liver health. Specifically, certain sulfur-containing amino acids, such as methionine and cysteine, help the body to produce Glutathione - a master antioxidant that is crucial for effective detoxification.

3. Healthy Fats

   
   

Incorporating more omega-3 foods or supplements into your diet can be an effective strategy for supporting liver health. Omega-3 fatty acids, commonly found in fish, chia seeds, and flaxseeds, have been shown to improve fat levels and certain enzyme levels in patients with NAFLD & non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). If you struggle to get enough omega-3s through diet, be sure to choose a high-quality supplement that has been tested for toxins.

4. Reduce Your Total Toxic Load

Your Total Toxic Load (aka, “body burden”) is the cumulative burden put on your body from exposure to environmental chemicals, pollution, radiation, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and mold, in addition to lifestyle factors, such as diet, drugs, and even stress (yes, stress can be a toxin!).

Not surprisingly, toxins can have long-term, detrimental effects on the liver and overall health. In fact, numerous scientific studies have linked toxic substances and behaviors to various neurodegenerative, metabolic, autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases.

While you can't eliminate all toxins everywhere, you can set up your liver for success by choosing organic foods when possible, avoiding products with harsh chemicals or fragrances, maintaining home HVAC systems, and filtering your water. You can also test your body for heavy metals, mold and other environmental toxins that may be hiding in plain sight.

5. Make Room for Micronutrients

   
   

We know that vitamins and minerals are good for us, but research shows that specific vitamins and minerals not only directly assist in detoxification, but actually compete with heavy metals and other toxins for space in the body’s cells. While the foods mentioned above will certainly help in this arena, you may need to supplement strategically for best results.

• Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps reduce oxidative stress and plays an important role in the metabolism and elimination of heavy metals.

• B vitamins are essential to the proper functioning of detoxification by acting as cofactors for liver enzymes.

• Vitamin D has garnered a lot of attention for its immune-enhancing abilities, but it’s also a significant factor in detoxification and protection against environmental toxins.

• Zinc aids in the production of metallothionein – a substance that binds to toxic metals for elimination.

• Selenium helps metabolize mercury and other toxins.

• Magnesium deficiency is both a consequence and contributing factor in liver disease. In fact, every 100mg increase in magnesium intake is associated with a 49% decrease in the risk of mortality due to all liver diseases.

Interested in working together? Visit Jensen Wellness to learn more and get in touch!

xo, Emily