21 Tips to Avoid Liver Damage
According to the latest WHO data published in May 2014, deaths caused by liver diseases in Philippines reached 10,388 or 1.99% of total deaths. The age adjusted Death Rate is 15.58 per 100,000 of population ranks Philippines Top 87 in the world.
There is over a hundred kinds of liver disease but the common liver diseases include hepatitis, fascioliasis, cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver disease, hemochromatosis, Gilbert’s syndrome, Budd-Chiari Syndrome, and liver cancer.
According to the Hepatology Society of the Philippines (HSP), about 10% of the population is infected with hepatitis, that is close to ten million Filipinos suffering from Hepatitis B and C.
Both Hepatitis B and C are strongly associated with later development of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
“Globally, 30 percent of cirrhosis cases can be attributed to Hepatitis B infection and 27 percent can be attributed to Hepatitis C infection. The attributable proportions are likely to be higher in the Philippines,” Former HSP President Diana Payawal, M.D. says.
Liver cancer is the eighth most common form of cancer worldwide and is the deadliest of all cancers. According to the Department of Health and the Philippine Cancer Society, liver cancer is also the 3rd leading sites for both sexes (2nd cancer site for males; 7th cancer site for females). According to Dr. Samuel So of Stanford’s Asian Liver Center, if not prevented, an average of 40 Filipinos a day will die due to liver cancer a day in the next few years (current average is 20 deaths per day).
So, let’s love our liver and take extra measures to keep it healthy. We have compiled a few tips to avoid these scary liver diseases. Please take time to read the following effective tips:
Eat less carbs:
Overall excess food intake is a risk factor for fatty liver. Fat deposits in the liver are generated by carbohydrates we get from almost everything we eat and drink everyday (especially food and drinks with high-fructose corn syrup used as sweeteners)
Lose weight:
Some fat in your liver is normal. But if it makes up more than 5%-10% of the organ’s weight, you may have fatty liver disease. One type of fatty liver disease is called the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD (the other type being “alcoholic”) which is more likely to happen to those who are middle-aged and overweight or obese. People like that often have high cholesterol and diabetes as well. So, start losing some weight today.
Drink coffee:
Studies show that coffee optimizes the flow of bile which as a result protects the liver. It is still unclear what exactly in coffee delivers this result, but either it’s the caffeine or the dark polyphenolic compounds found in coffee, coffee helps protect our liver.
