How to keep the liver protected 

The human body is a kind of machine. Every organ has its own function and performs its specific work. For example, the eyes are meant for seeing, the nose is meant for breathing, and in the same way every organ has its own role. In other words, every organ has been assigned its individual function from the beginning.

Among all the organs, the liver is one of the most important. Its work is not only to digest food—there are many other vital functions it performs. In fact, almost all bodily functions depend on the liver. We can even call the liver the “human machine” of the body.

Just as we put oil in a vehicle to make it run and to activate all its parts, in the same way, when we eat food, the liver processes and digests it. Because of this, the entire body is able to function. The liver is the main machine of the human body. If your liver is healthy, then your whole body remains healthy.

If you look at the human body, many organs are present in pairs. This means that if one organ gets damaged, the other can still support the body. But the liver is an organ that exists as only one in the human body. That is why taking care of the liver is extremely important, and it is necessary to always keep it healthy.

If your liver is healthy, you will not have any difficulty digesting food. The blood circulation in your body will also remain proper. And when blood circulation is good, you naturally feel energetic and active.

Nowadays, because many people have liver issues, their blood circulation is not happening properly. When any organ does not receive proper blood supply, that organ cannot remain fully active. You may have noticed that people today feel very lazy—this often happens because blood circulation in the body is not functioning as it should.

When blood flows properly throughout the body, all organs stay active, and the person also feels active. It’s not that blood is not circulating at all—it is circulating, but not at the level and efficiency that the body actually requires. “It is very important to protect the liver because it is the main filtration system of the body. Here are some simple and practical ways that you can follow in your daily life:

Because of alcohol, the cells in the liver get damaged. It weakens the liver cells, and if you consume too much alcohol, it can even kill those cells. As a result, the liver cannot function properly.

Alcohol also causes fat to accumulate in the liver, which leads to fatty liver. Due to fatty liver, food does not get digested properly. It causes stomach pain, vomiting, and very loose stools. When the liver is busy processing alcohol, it cannot perform its other important functions like digestion, detoxification, and metabolism properly. Alcohol causes inflammation in the liver, which can lead to alcoholic hepatitis, a serious condition Continuous alcohol use leads to scarring (fibrosis) and later cirrhosis, where the liver becomes hard and stops functioning properly

When fibrosis and cirrhosis develop, they make a person extremely weak. At this stage, the liver stops functioning properly. When the liver fails, fluid begins to accumulate in the abdomen. If the treatment is not done on time and the fluid is not removed, it can even rise up into the chest. This causes severe difficulty in breathing.

A damaged liver cannot remove toxins efficiently, causing harmful substances to accumulate in the body. Alcohol damages the liver, which is an important part of the immune system—making the body more prone to infections. A weak liver cannot produce enough bile, leading to poor digestion, acidity, and nutrient deficiency. When the liver becomes weak, digestion does not happen properly. This leads to gas formation in the stomach. You may have noticed that people who drink a lot of alcohol start looking overweight. They do not gain weight because of eating too much, but because of alcohol consumption. Alcohol creates acidity and bloating in the stomach, which makes them look fat, even though their liver is not functioning properly. 

Long-term alcohol damage increases the risk of liver cancer. Poor liver function affects the entire body—energy levels, hormones, metabolism, and brain function.

Eating too much oily and spicy food also leads to fat buildup in the liver, which is known as fatty liver. People often try to make their food tastier by adding excessive oil and spices, but this causes serious harm to the body. Most working people do not cook their own meals—they eat outside or order food online. These places usually use the lowest-quality oil. They even reuse the same oil multiple times, which is extremely harmful. To enhance the taste, they add a lot of different spices, which leads to fat accumulation in the liver, resulting in fatty liver.

When fatty liver develops, it causes various digestion problems. Acidity increases, the stomach always feels bloated, and because digestion is weak, you also feel less hungry.

Water helps flush toxins out of the liver, and proper hydration helps the liver function smoothly. It is important for a person to drink enough water because it helps remove all the toxins from the body. Proper hydration allows the liver to function smoothly. In daily routine, a person should drink at least 4 liters of water per day.

A human eats every day — breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, and dinner.
If you include some liver-protecting foods in these four meals on a daily basis, it will help protect your liver and keep you fit.
Therefore, make sure to include the foods given below in your daily diet.

• Haldi
• Garlic (lahsun)
• Green leafy vegetables
• Beetroot
• Lemon water
• Coffee (moderate amount)
• Apples
• Walnuts
• Olive oil

Excess sugar and refined carbs quickly convert into fat and get stored in the liver, leading to fatty liver disease. High sugar intake causes inflammation in the liver, weakening its ability to function properly. When the liver is not overloaded with sugar, it can produce bile normally, which improves digestion. Refined carbs spike blood sugar, forcing the liver to work harder to balance glucose levels. Sugar and processed carbs cause rapid weight gain, especially around the belly—putting pressure on the liver. Lower sugar intake means the liver doesn’t have to detoxify as many harmful by products created by sugar metabolism. A low-sugar diet helps the liver focus on essential tasks like filtering blood, storing nutrients, and producing enzymes.

The more a person exercises, the more body fat gets reduced. Exercise is essential for good health. If there is no excess fat in the body, then fat will never accumulate in the liver. And if fat does not get stored in the liver, fatty liver will never occur.

In today’s time, regular exercise is very important. Exercise also helps control blood sugar levels, and it allows the pancreas to work properly. This is why exercise is necessary for overall good health.

Doing at least 30 minutes of exercise daily not only benefits the entire body but also protects the liver. Therefore, regular daily exercise is very important for everyone.

A person should neither be too overweight nor too underweight. As a person grows older, they should maintain their body weight according to their height — this is what we call a healthy weight. If your weight is proper, it means excess fat is not stored in your body, and this also keeps your liver protected. Therefore, always maintain a healthy weight. Proper weight helps protect the liver.

When a person takes any medicine, it gets broken down in the liver. Just like the food we eat gets digested in the liver, medicines also go to the liver for breakdown. If you take too many medicines, it puts extra pressure on the liver. That is why medicines should always be taken in limited and proper doses.

If you are suffering from a serious illness, you should take your medicines with the correct time gap. Do not take 4–5 tablets at once. Some strong medicines can even cause loose motions.

Here are some clear points on why you should not take medicines in excess or overdose, especially for liver health. Every medicine you take is broken down by the liver. Overuse puts extra pressure on the liver. Too many medicines can directly harm or kill liver cells, leading to liver injury. Common painkillers like paracetamol, when taken in excess, are one of the major causes of liver failure. Extra medicines create more chemical waste, making it difficult for the liver to detoxify the body. When medicine overloads the liver, it cannot perform its other important functions properly, such as digestion and metabolism. Overuse of medication triggers inflammation in the liver, which can later turn into fatty liver or hepatitis-like conditions. Continuous overdose or self-medication increases the risk of severe liver damage and even liver failure. Taking only the required dosage protects your liver and ensures safe treatment.

When you smoke, you are putting chemicals into your body. The nicotine mixes with your blood. As we already discussed, blood circulation plays a very important role in the human body. When the blood circulates, it eventually reaches the liver. So when you smoke, the chemicals present in the blood put pressure on the liver. This causes the liver’s functioning level to slow down automatically. And when the liver becomes slow, digestion does not happen properly.

The chemicals in cigarette smoke enter the bloodstream and reach the liver, causing inflammation and weakening liver function. A smoker inhales thousands of harmful chemicals. The liver has to filter all of them, which puts extra pressure on it. Nicotine reduces the liver’s ability to detoxify the body, allowing toxins to build up. Smoking is linked to fat build up in the liver, which can lead to fatty liver disease. Smoking restricts blood vessels, lowering oxygen flow. Low oxygen weakens and damages liver cells. Chemicals from cigarettes increase the risk of liver cell mutation, which can lead to liver cancer. If the liver is already damaged, smoking prevents it from repairing itself. If someone drinks alcohol or takes medicines, smoking makes the liver’s workload even heavier, increasing damage.

If you feel that your digestion is not working properly, if your stool is not clearing well, or if you experience frequent weakness, these can be signs of liver damage, fatty liver, or improper enzyme production in the liver. In such cases, it is important to consult a doctor and get a Liver Function Test (LFT) done regularly. When you do an LFT, you will know the actual condition of your liver. Based on that, further check-ups and treatment become very important.