Why Your Liver Needs a Break From Time to Time
If you try Dry January, it’s probably starting to get tough . It may help to think about some of the reasons why it is good to give the liver a break from time to time.
While we tend to take our liver for granted, it is a hard-working organ that does many important things for our body. Quitting alcohol—even for a relatively short period of time—provides a number of short-term health benefits, as well as helping you instill some healthier, longer-term habits.
What does the liver do?
Some of the many functions of the liver include the production, storage, and supply of energy in the form of glucose, the regulation of hormone and cholesterol levels, the production of bile to aid digestion, and the metabolism of alcohol and drugs. In total, the liver performs more than 500 functions necessary for the proper functioning of our body. The liver is the workhorse of the body, doing an incredible amount of work every day to keep us moving.
Our liver is also an organ that rarely complains and is incredibly resilient because it can function even if up to two-thirds of it is damaged. He can also regenerate himself within certain limits. That’s a lot of work for an organ that only weighs about two pounds.
Liver can’t handle endless abuse
As resilient as our liver is, it cannot withstand endless abuse, with the two most common liver diseases being cirrhosis and fatty liver disease. While we tend to focus on cirrhosis of the liver due to excessive alcohol consumption, fatty liver disease is also quite common , with some risk factors including insulin resistance, high blood sugar or fat levels, especially triglycerides, and obesity. If left untreated, non- alcoholic fatty liver disease can progress to cirrhosis .
Moderate drinking is defined as no more than two drinks a day for men or one drink a day for women, and given the stresses of the past few years, many of us are drinking more than usual. According to a recent survey , nearly one in five Americans reported having abused alcohol during the last month of the survey. In addition, we have become much more stress-inducing foods, including highly processed foods that are also bad for our liver. Our liver has to deal with many problems.
All this to say that our liver deserves a little break. He does a lot of hard work and is under more stress than usual. Cutting back, whether it’s reducing your alcohol intake or working on building healthier eating habits, is the way to do just that.
Giving up alcohol for a month has short and long term benefits
The advantage of hosting Dry January is that it has a number of short and long term benefits. In a 2018 study published in the British Medical Journal , 94 moderate-to-heavy drinkers who quit alcohol for a month saw a range of improvements in certain health indicators, including their blood pressure, insulin resistance and liver function. Quitting alcohol for a month can also help you sleep better and prevent overeating, which usually happens when you’ve had a few drinks.
In addition to these short-term benefits, not drinking alcohol for a month can result in you drinking less even after the month is over . If you’re drinking a little more than you’d like, then this can be a good way to develop a healthier habit. Your liver will thank you for it.