Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Liver

A HEALTHY diet is the foundation of a healthy liver. The liver metabolises the food we consume by extracting nutrients for the body and filtering toxins. 

For this reason, Damansara Specialist Hospital 2 consultant physician, gastroenterologist and hepatologist Dr Jaideep Singh emphasises the need for Malaysians to watch what they consume to ensure their liver continues to function at its best. Sharing on the selection of food often readily available in the country, he says, “Malaysians generally love comfort and fatty foods.

Our diets also often contain rice and deep-fried items. If you consume a highly fatty meal it is going to affect your liver.” Other than fatty and high-cholesterol food, Dr Jaideep adds that long-term consumption of alcohol causes liver damage and ultimately cirrhosis of the liver. He also raises the issue of unregulated traditional and herbal medications which may contain a lot of impurities that can lead to liver damage. On the other hand, taking non-prescribed medication or not following the recommended dosage can lead to liver failure.

Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and fatty liver are the three most common liver diseases we see in Malaysia. “There are about a million Malaysians who are carriers of hepatitis B. It is transmitted through body fluids and blood products. Also common in Malaysia is maternal to foetal transmission during childbirth,” Dr Jaideep notes.

Parents need to be aware of this liver disease as according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the risk of transmission from mother to child ranges from 70% to 90%. Hepatitis C is transmitted through intravenous drug usage through the sharing of needles. This causes liver cirrhosis which can also lead to liver cancer. Hepatitis C is on the rise, with a prevalence of about 2% in the country.

Fatty liver is now the third most common cause of liver cirrhosis worldwide. It happens when fat accumulates inside the liver cells, causing cell enlargement (steatosis) and sometimes cell damage (steatohepatitis) which eventually damages your liver. It is caused by unhealthy eating habits and metabolic syndromes such as diabetes mellitus.

Effectively managing the disease 

In Malaysia, we have many types of food which make a balanced diet possible to achieve. Dr Jaideep urges Malaysians to reduce the consumption of fatty meals and high carbohydrates wherever possible.

Besides a balanced diet, we must also look into other ways of taking care of our liver such as getting adequate exercise. The Ministry of Health (MOH) recommends 45 to 60 minutes of moderate activity per day to keep your body active and prevent obesity. Stress is also known to be linked to liver damage, thus the need to manage our stress levels. Having a good amount of sleep, a healthy night routine, and even meditation can help with reducing stress.

Dr Jaideep recommends going for frequent liver check-ups if you have a family history of liver diseases. This is because diseases such as hepatitis can be generational. If you are diagnosed with viral hepatitis B or C, a check-up every six months would be recommended with blood tests and ultrasound. For those with family history of other liver diseases, a check-up and health screening which includes liver function tests is advisable at an early stage.

A health check-up is all the more important should you notice or experience some of the common symptoms of liver diseases. These symptoms include:

• Fatigue and lethargy
• Pain on the right side of the upper abdomen
• Jaundice (yellow eyes)
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
  
  

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