5 Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor About Liver Health

Written by David Kahana, MD for 1MD Nutrition

Dr. David Kahana is board certified in Pediatrics and Gastroenterology through the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), as well as Medical Nutrition through the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists. He also sits on the 1MD Scientific Advisory Board and Complete Probiotcs Platinum physician-formulator.

Your liver is the largest internal organ responsible for both digestive and non-digestive functions. Within the digestive system, it helps promote proper breakdown of food, while outside the digestive system, the liver is responsible for making protein, converting stored energy into usable energy, and filtering toxins from the blood.

Liver health is essential to your overall well-being. Signs and symptoms of poor liver function can occur slowly and often sneak up on you, making it important to promote liver health before problems arise. Being proactive about liver health involves getting your liver checked regularly and incorporating health-promoting practices and natural supplements into your life.

If you have concerns about your liver, it is important to discuss it with your doctor. Most doctor visits last only about ten minutes, so you want to make the most of your time. The best questions to focus on should include:

• How is my liver doing?
• Are there liver function tests we can do?
• What are my treatment options?
• How can I improve liver health?

From here, additional visits and testing may be required. If you are ready to add supplemental support to promote the health of your liver, below are the top questions to address as you continue to explore options for better liver health.

1. What factors contribute to poor liver health?

Several factors can contribute to reduced liver function. One of the most common is poor diet and excessive weight gain. Unhealthy foods and obesity increase the amount of fat in the body, which accumulates in the liver causing damage to liver cells.

Viral infection, most commonly associated with risky lifestyle choices and behaviors as well as genetic conditions that cause the liver to accumulate metals, such as iron and copper, or form defective protein, such as alpha-1-antitrypsin, can also negatively impact liver health and function.

In addition to this, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol damages the liver cells. As the liver becomes sick, it becomes swollen and tender, and overtime accumulates scar tissue and hardens. As a result cirrhosis and liver failure may develop.

2. What are the signs and complications of poor liver health?

The signs of poor liver health will vary depending on the underlying cause, but there are general symptoms you will want to bring to your doctor’s attention.

• Abdominal pain, especially in the right upper quadrant
• Bloating
• Frequent heartburn or indigestion
• Fatigue
• Nausea, vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Tendency to bruise easily or prolonged bleeding time
• Swelling, in the legs and ankles, or morning facial swelling
• Itching or various rashes, especially on the palms

Without early identification and treatment, liver health can deteriorate. As this occurs, signs of a more serious condition may be identified, such as:

• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Muscle loss
• Jaundice of the skin or eyes
• Spider-like blood vessels
• Itching and rashes
• Severe fatigue, weakness, and loss of mental capacity

It is important to act preventatively to maintain a healthy liver. The longer you live without intervention, the worse your liver health can get. The range of complications can vary from moderate to severe and can include any of the following:

• Poor digestion
• Malnutrition
• Bleeding
• Swelling in the legs and abdomen
• Enlargement of the spleen
• Infections
• High blood pressure
• Buildup of nitrogen waste and toxins

3. What tests are there to check liver health?

Your doctor can perform liver function tests to check the overall health of your liver, starting with a liver function panel to measure proteins and enzymes produced by the liver, as well as a blood count. Liver health is measured by the following blood tests:

• Liver enzymes, such as ALT, AST, and alkaline phosphatase
• Albumin
• Bilirubin
• Platelets
• Prolonged bleeding time

In addition to the initial chemistry panel and blood count, your doctor should also consider checking the following:

• Vitamin D levels
• Prealbumin levels
• Zinc levels
• Lipid panel
• Viral infections

Ultrasound imaging of the liver should also be done especially if any initial tests return abnormal results. An ultrasound of the liver is relatively inexpensive, noninvasive, and carries no risk of radiation.

4. What can I do to help improve liver function?

The best approach to promoting healthy liver function is through dietary and lifestyle changes. Your doctor will be able to provide treatment of complications, as they arise, but ultimately, proper liver health is best achieved through lifestyle modification.

• Diet: The best healthy liver diet would be the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in healthy fat (mono- and polyunsaturated), fresh vegetables, fruit, and legumes, as well as fish. It is also lower in animal products, especially red and processed meat, dairy, and simple sugar or refined flour.

• Fasting: There is emerging evidence that restricting the amount of time spent in the fed state can give the liver time to properly clear toxins and lipids. The liver stores energy and can create energy from fat, but it will not utilize its resources until you give it a reason to, and fasting allows the liver time to put these resources to work, to turnover biological tissue and regenerate.
• Meal planning: Few people plan meals in advance, but it may be the single most important intervention you can make to improve overall health. It turns out that this poor eating habit is perhaps responsible for much of our health problems as a society. Although there is no easy fix, you can start with a simple change like taking lunch and healthy snacks with you to work.
• Exercise: Ideally, you want 15 to 30 minutes of physical activity a day, to raise your resting heart rate. If schedules do not allow for this, then small changes to your daily routine can help increase your activity level, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking around the block after lunch, or parking further away and walking to work.
• Alcohol moderation: Alcohol is processed by the liver and is a toxin that needs to be broken down enzymatically. Moderation is a key to maintaining normal liver function and in many cases, avoidance of alcohol is the only solution to prevent further complications.
• Weight loss: A small reduction in your body mass index can have a significant impact on your liver. Most studies show that losing just 5–7% of your body weight can really help jumpstart your liver to better health.

5. What are treatment options for liver damage?

There are medications available to address the symptoms of viral infections, and poor digestion, but the only treatment currently available to promote liver health is diet and lifestyle. You only have one liver and transplantation of another one is very high risk with a difficult chronic course.

The potential risks and side effects of medical management of poor liver health include:

• Accelerated liver damage
• Electrolyte imbalance and dehydration
• Kidney damage
• Infections and bacterial overgrowth
• Fatigue and sleepiness

The use of natural supplements has a definite advantage over current medical options for promotion of liver health. The ingredients found in LiverMD® naturally support optimal liver function and were individually selected for their clinical effectiveness. It is best used preventatively, but can also help maintain residual liver function and slow down the progression of chronic conditions.

LiverMD® was created to be the most effective liver health supplement available on the market today and is designed to address the growing epidemic of poor liver health affecting over 100 million Americans. The LiverMD® formula contains patented ingredients that are clinically studied for their natural and safe everyday care for your liver.

• Milk thistle: This herb, specifically its key compound silybin, has been used for centuries to promote proper liver health. 1MD incorporated a highly bioavailable form of silybin into our formula, called Siliphos® for more effective liver support, and optimal breakdown of toxins.
• N-Acetylcysteine: NAC is an essential amino acid that replenishes glutathione, the main antioxidant in the body shown to support detoxification in the liver. Glutathione fights oxidative stress, which helps reduce free radical damage to liver cells.
• Alpha-lipoic acid: ALA has the ability to protect the liver and has been shown to help sensitize insulin receptors, which can help slow down the progression of liver damage.
• Vitamin E: This clinically studied vitamin has been shown to be effective in the prevention of uncontrolled cell division in the liver. With EVNolMax®, a supercharged complex version of vitamin E, LiverMD® delivers a full spectrum of tocotrienols and tocopherols for better absorption, bioavailability, and liver support.

• Zinc: Zinc is essential and plays a significant role in thousands of enzymatic reactions and can improve healing. Zinc deficiency is commonly observed in patients with chronic liver disease.
• Selenium: This essential trace mineral is a natural antioxidant that helps promote a healthy environment for your liver, by working with zinc and ALA to promote healing of liver cells.

Final Thoughts

Your liver has essential roles in metabolic and digestive health as well as proper detoxification of the body. The roles of the liver expose it to potentially harmful substances, which overtime can damage liver cells and cause scarring. In combination with healthy lifestyle choices, daily supplementation of LiverMD® can provide enhanced protection and optimal support for liver function.