January is love your liver
Month
Your liver is the biggest
organ inside your body; in adults, it is about the size of a rugby ball.
It carries out hundreds of
essential jobs that keep your body working. It cleans the blood by removing
poisons and other toxic substances, including alcohol and harmful drugs. It
makes vital proteins that help stop you bleeding when you are cut or injured;
processes food once it has been digested; regulates fat breakdown and
distribution into the bloodstream, and stores sugars, vitamins and minerals.
The liver also gives you the energy to do every day tasks. On top of all of
this, the liver has the ability to repair itself. However, this is limited;
continuous injury can lead to permanent scarring and eventually to it not
working at all. Injury can occur without you even knowing; your liver has no
nerve endings, which means you may not notice any symptoms for some time.
Mike Hedges AM urges everyone
to follow these top tips for looking after your liver and it doesn’t have to be
difficult! • Enjoy more fruit and veg and avoid sugary drinks. •
Exercise regularly to burn the fat off your liver and other organs. •
Take 2-3 consecutive days off alcohol a week, to let your liver cells recover
and repair themselves.
Liver disease is now the
fifth largest cause of death in the UK. The good news is that most forms of
liver disease can be prevented or reversed.
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