Vitamins for Liver Health
The liver is the largest organ in the body and serves as the "filter" for blood in the body. Many forms of liver disease that can be life-threatening. Making sure you get certain vitamins in your diet is one simple way to keep your liver healthy and functioning properly.
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Liver Functions
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Your liver is responsible for the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and minerals. It also removes toxins and poisons from the bloodstream. These toxins include alcohol and drugs. This is why heavy drinkers can be susceptible to liver disease because of the demand they put on their livers when drinking excess alcohol.
Cirrhosis of the Liver
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Cirrhosis of the liver is when the liver cells begin to die, thus making the liver less effective in doing its job. When liver cells die, they turn into scar tissue and block some of the blood being streamed through the liver. According to the National Institute of Health, one of the main causes of cirrhosis of the liver is alcoholism. Having too much alcohol in your bloodstream causes the liver to be overloaded and not able to filter out all the ammonia and other dangerous substances in the blood. Also, Hepatitis B, C and D can lead to cirrhosis, as they are liver infections that causes inflammation and liver damage.
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Vitamins
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Vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E are some of the important vitamins that people become deficient in when their liver isn't working properly. Vitamin E aids in the functioning of the immune system and promotes healing. Vitamin C assists in immunity and is essential for metabolic actions in the body. Vitamin A is stored mostly in the liver and helps with vision, bone growth, reproduction and cell division and health. Vitamin A also aids in the immune system and helps fight off infection. It is important to make sure your diet consists of these vitamins for liver health.
Minerals and Nutrients
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Zinc is also needed to help maintain and heal bodily tissue. Magnesium is another mineral that keeps the balance of pH in the blood and also helps in the metabolism of calcium and vitamin C. Also, if the body is deficient in the nutrient choline, it can cause liver damage. Choline helps in the structural integrity and signaling of cell membranes. Choline is sometimes combined in a B complex supplement. It has been shown that heavy drinkers are normally deficient in some of these nutrients and that can lead to poor liver function.
Alcoholism and Deficiency
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Alcoholics can lower the liver's levels of many vitamins, including vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. This leaves the liver vulnerable to disease. Alcoholics also tend to have lower nutritional levels of vitamin C, riboflavin, zinc, vitamin B6 and vitamin A. This is because heavy drinkers consume a lot of their calories from liquid, therefore they aren't getting the adequate amount of nutrients in their diet. It's important to get the right amount of vitamins and minerals from foods to keep your liver healthy but also to live a longer, healthier life.
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