These 6 Simple Habits You Do Every Day Are Actually Damaging Your Liver

Most of us probably don’t bother going to the doctor unless it’s something really serious. So when faced with minor ailments like headaches, slight fevers, and body aches, we usually just grab some common medication from a pharmacy.

Why it's bad: But not knowing the proper recommended dosage can be dangerous as taking too much can cause toxins to build up in your liver, especially if you’re taking these medications often.

Before taking any medication, you should check the label for liver toxicity warnings or better yet consult a doctor first, especially if you're taking multiple types of medication for different conditions.

thehealthsite.com

It's not just being too tired to function the next day or getting dark circles that you should be worrying about when you don't get enough sleep. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation impacts your liver negatively by causing cell damage, thus increasing your risk factors for diseases like fatty liver.

Why it's bad: Not only can it cause oxidative stress to your liver, it also results in the liver not being able to process fat efficiently and affects the elimination process.

healthyandnaturalworld.com

Do you know that 50% of Malaysians under the age of 30 are at risk of Hepatitis A because we don't have the antibodies to prevent it? But it's preventable by improving on cleanliness and making sure to practice good hygiene habits in your daily life.

For example, don't wipe your wet hands on your clothes after coming out of the toilet. Doing that is not only incredibly unhygienic, but also a surefire way to get all sorts of bacteria transmitted onto yourself.

Why it's bad: Bad hygiene habits could lead to several viral infections, including Hepatitis A which directly attacks the liver cells thus causing inflammation. So it's important to keep yourself and your surroundings clean and sanitised to avoid these kinds of diseases that can spread from person to person through contact with feces, food, water or contaminated objects.

In the long run, bad hygiene habits can also cause liver cirrhosis, a condition that results in hardening and scarring of the liver tissue, that can eventually lead to liver failure.

thehealthsite.com

Why it's bad: Even though the liver doesn't actually come into direct contact with the cigarette smoke, smoking can still induce a variety of negative effects on the liver. This includes direct or indirect toxic effects, immunological effects and oncogenic effects. It also increases the production of elements that are involved in liver cell injury, and can even lead to secondary iron overload disease as well as causes a decrease in surveillance for tumor cells.

nih.gov

What's a Malaysian's favourite thing to do? Of course la makan! But from going for yum cha sessions with friends to dropping by the mamak or your favourite fast food place late at night, our eating habits are actually pretty unhealthy.

So it's probably a good idea to start eating healthier by doing these two simple things:

- Staying hydrated throughout the day by specifically drinking enough water, not just coffee, tea, juice, soft drinks, or whatever else meets your fancy.
- Cutting down on late-night eating or at least switching from having heavy and greasy food to some healthier midnight snack options.

Why it's bad: We consist of about 65% water so it makes sense that we’d need plenty of it to keep our bodies running. When we’re dehydrated, the liver also loses hydration which in turn causes it to lose its organ reserve, affecting its ability to properly detoxify our bodies.

Plus, our liver actually carries out the majority of its functions at night, so when we have meals at that hour (especially stuff that’s heavy) we’re just overtaxing our liver by giving it more work to do. If you absolutely cannot tahan the hunger and must eat, go for something that is healthy, i.e oats, grains and fruits.

rd.com

With our hectic schedules and busy lifestyles, it’s easy to not have the time to exercise. But for your liver’s sake, you should definitely start exercising more often.

When your pores open up and you start breaking a sweat during exercise, your body is actually detoxifying itself. As one of the liver’s main function is to detoxify the body, you’re giving your liver a huge helping hand by naturally inducing and encouraging the detoxification process.

Exercise can also be considered as a form of natural medicine as people who engage in an active and fit way of life usually live longer, healthier, and better lives.

rd.com