One in three of us is at risk of liver disease, and recent reports suggest that the number of people dying from liver cancer has nearly doubled in the past two decades. While some conditions are caused by genetic and autoimmune factors, 90% of cases are linked to alcohol consumption, excess body weight, diet and viral hepatitis.
King's specialises in liver care. The King’s Liver Transplant Unit runs the largest transplantation programme in Europe, carrying out more than 200 procedures a year. It is renowned for its world-leading specialists, and it assesses and treats both adults and children from all over the country and abroad.
With the state-of-the-art paediatric research facility at King’s, it is also committed to advancing research into liver conditions.
As January is Love Your Liver Month, a month which aims to put a spotlight on liver disease risk factors and the steps we can take to keep our livers healthy, we spoke to Consultant Hepatologist at the King's Institute of Liver Studies Dr Deepak Joshi to find out some simple steps to improve our liver health- in January and beyond.
Healthy habits for your liver
Don’t drink more than 14 units of alcohol per week
"Alcohol should be consumed in moderation", Dr Joshi advises, "and it's wise to follow NHS guidelines that you should not exceed 14 units of alcohol in a week."
This is equivalent to 6 pints of beer, 6 medium size glasses of wine or 7 double measures of spirits.
"Sometimes people might need to reduce their intake slowly, and really reflect on its place in their life.
"It contains a lot of calories for example, so by reducing your alcohol consumption, you can lose weight and improve your health in that way."
"I'd also invite people to reflect on how alcohol affects their life through their finances, their relationships, their working patterns, or their mood, energy and mental health. Reducing alcohol consumption can help with lots of different things in our lives."
As well as damage to the liver, the NHS warns that the risk of developing a range of health problems, including cancers of the mouth, throat and breast, increases the more you drink on a regular basis.
Avoid binge drinking
"In the UK, we tend to stockpile all our drinking for the weekend, but it's much better to space it throughout the week."
Don’t drink alcohol every day
"That said, we should also take a few days off drinking every week."
"The British Liver Trust recommends that people take three consecutive days off drinking per week as a minimum, to give the liver a proper break."
Eat a healthy diet
Dr Joshi suggests that there is no perfect diet for your liver specifically. "But following a well-balanced diet that contains plenty of vegetables and that's good for your general health is a good way to nourish your liver.
"There's nothing that you can't eat, and there's nothing that you should eat that's a so-called "liver health food" despite the fads you might read about online. A healthy diet is sufficient.
"I would however recommend reducing your intake of sugar, fat, and processed foods, and eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains."
He also emphasises that a diet must be sustainable. "Like a puppy, a good diet is not just for January, it should be for life."
"We should take a holistic approach to diet, and know that we will all have good days and bad days."
Drinking coffee could be beneficial
"There's a lot of data that shows that coffee could be good for the liver, due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects."
"Having some in your diet might be helpful."
Get some exercise
Dr Joshi emphasises the importance of exercise for maintaining liver health.
"I'd recommend getting regular exercise in your routine, at least 30 minutes a day, or 8,000 steps as as a starting point.
"This can often be done very easily, by getting off the bus a couple of stops early and walking or driving only part of the way and walking the rest.
"I'd also recommend following additional NHS guidelines around exercise."
These guidelines lay out that we should:
- Do at least 2½ hours of moderate aerobic activity (cardio) each week
- Or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week
- Do strengthening exercises on 2 days of every week, if possible
Consider your liver every now and then and how you could improve its health
"The liver is very forgiving, and it's a resilient organ, but it's also good to think about it every now and then and reflect on whether your lifestyle could be negatively affecting it."
"Christmas is usually a period of eating, drinking and maybe not exercising as much.
"But if there is damage to liver or irritation to liver, making lifestyle changes through diet, reducing alcohol consumption and exercise can help the liver in the short term and the long term.
"The liver has an ability to regenerate, and you can always help it in that process."
Understand the risk factors for viral hepatitis and get tested or vaccinated if you are at risk
"Most people recover from hepatitis A with no lasting liver damage, but hepatitis B and C can cause long term liver disease and liver cancer if they aren’t treated.
"Hepatitis B and C can be transmitted sexually, so using barrier contraception is helpful.
"If you've had unprotected intercourse, getting tested is a good idea.
"It can also be transmitted through shared needles and using dirty needles, so this should be avoided."
Seek help if you're worried
If you're worried about your liver health, Dr Joshi adds that help is available that might provide reassurance.
"There are blood tests we can perform to see if something's irritating the liver, but sometimes that's not enough and we also provide scans like liver ultrasounds which can look for chronic liver disease, and other scans like fibro scans look for scarring and how much fat there is on the liver. These things are all readily available.
"If people are unsure they should contact their GP and get some blood tests done, and there are lots of pathways that can help them."
He adds: "The two most common types of liver issues are fatty liver disease which can be related to blood pressure or diabetes or weight, or alcohol related liver disease, which there's lots of support for.
"Don't be scared to seek help, because in most cases people can be helped and the liver can repair itself."
