The largest digestive organ in our body is not the stomach, but the liver. When it is damaged, the body may experience a decrease in appetite and sudden weight loss, so its health is closely related to our overall health.
Over the years, the population of liver disease patients has been increasing, with many more men than women being hospitalized due to liver issues. This isn’t because liver problems are biased towards men, but rather because men have more harmful habits that damage the liver compared to women, resulting in more men being hospitalized for liver issues.
1. Four behaviors of men that damage the liver, with smoking and drinking ranked lower; the top cause is often unknown and should be avoided.
Fourth place: Drinking energy drinks
Many men in their daily lives prefer energy drinks over plain water, as they quench thirst and provide energy, but energy drinks are harmful to the liver.
Energy drinks contain many nutrients, and frequent consumption can lead to obesity and excessive body fat.
However, the liver has a limited capacity to metabolize fat each day. If there is too much fat, it can lead to excess residual fat in the liver, increasing the liver’s burden and jeopardizing liver health.
Third place: Smoking
Men often need social connections, which differ from women’s socializing. When men meet, they commonly share cigarettes and smoke while chatting. It is important to note that smoking is harmful to liver health.
Many toxins and various metabolic products in our body are broken down by the liver. Cigarettes contain a large number of toxic substances, which must be broken down by the liver. Regular smoking increases the liver’s detoxification burden and hinders its ability to break down fat or other harmful substances, easily leading to liver damage.
Second place: Drinking alcohol
Many men especially love to drink alcohol; not having a drink for a day makes them feel unwell. Men often drink at gatherings, usually deriving pleasure from drinking while the liver suffers.
After alcohol is broken down in the body, its byproduct acetaldehyde is metabolized in the liver. Frequent drinking is detrimental to liver health, causing liver cell damage and harming liver function.
First place: Taking health supplements indiscriminately
In fact, no man likes to hear that he is incapable, especially men over 40 who tend to take various health supplements to enhance their vitality and prove their capability. However, taking health supplements indiscriminately is bad for the liver.
Many health supplements have unclear sources and come with numerous side effects and toxins. Once these enter the body, the liver must break them down and metabolize them. In the process of breakdown and metabolism, toxins can attack the liver, leading to damage of liver cells and liver tissue, which can result in liver health issues.
2. When the liver is in trouble, the hands and feet give early warnings. If these two phenomena appear in the hands and feet, the liver may already be damaged, so pay more attention.
Location 1: Hands
The hands are a prominent and frequently used part of the body. When the liver is damaged, it will alert us through the hands, so never take this lightly.
When the liver is damaged, red spots can appear on the palms. This happens because liver damage leads to reduced liver function and prevents the metabolism of estrogen, causing it to flow to the palms and stimulate capillary congestion and dilation.
Location 2: Feet
It may seem that feet and the liver are unrelated, which raises some questions for many. Keep reading, and you’ll understand.
Bilirubin in the body is metabolized by the liver. When the liver is damaged, it can cause abnormal bilirubin metabolism, leading to elevated bilirubin levels in the blood. When the blood flows to the feet, bilirubin accumulates there, causing the feet to appear yellow, which is a sign of paleness and loss of blood color.
3. How to nourish the liver? Traditional Chinese medicine suggests: uphold these two practices daily.
First: Drink water regularly
Water is the second most essential substance for us after oxygen. Regularly drinking water helps the liver with metabolism and detoxification, while also timely replenishing the body’s hydration. Therefore, it is essential to cultivate the habit of drinking water frequently.
