Liver Longevity

We all know that the minute you start sipping on your Aperol, your wearable starts sharing health alarms - especially cardiovascular alerts. It’s also a huge neurotoxin to the white matter in your brain.

Now, new research shows that even one or two drinks a week does damage to your entire system. This post is going to focus on the liver specifically.* The British Liver Trust recently revealed that liver disease is the biggest cause of death among 35 to 49-year olds in the UK. Liver disease accounted for 10% of all deaths in this age group; greater than deaths from suicide, heart disease and breast cancer.

In addition, it’s expected to overtake heart disease as the biggest cause of premature death in the next few years. Over the past decade, liver cancer has increased by almost two-thirds (63%) in the UK.

Did you know?

*More than 90% of liver disease is due to three main risk factors: obesity, alcohol and viral hepatitis.

*Liver problems develop silently with no obvious symptoms in the early stages yet if caught early, the disease can be reversed through lifestyle changes.

*women have a higher chance of developing liver cirrhosis (South Africa).

Other contributors to liver disease:

*Drugs

*Infectious mononucleosis (Epstein Barr virus)

*Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH)

*Iron overload (hemochromatosis)

*Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), caused by fatty build up in the liver. This condition, combined with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and having low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)—so called ‘good cholesterol’—dramatically raised risk of death by up to 40%.

*Sedentary lifestyle and sugary, processed, fatty, high salt foods.

Screenings:

Often, the onset of liver disease is a gradual process. No one sign prompts an individual to seek medical attention. But if you’re suffering from unexplained fatigue, weakness, and weight loss, book a doctor’s appointment.

* While there isn’t a single, current percentage for liver disease in South African women available, we do know that it is on the rise, especially in older ages.