The Effects of Alcohol On Your Liver

Liver is the largest internal organ in our body, it plays an important role in metabolic processes in the human body. It breaks down the harmful substances in our body and detoxifies the blood. There are many factors which might affect our liver health such as sedentary lifestyle, obesity, smoking and lack of sleep, however, alcohol is one of the most important factors that affects our liver health. Alcohol consumption has been proven to negatively affect our liver cells.

Alcoholic Fatty Liver

Degeneration of liver cells could lead to the increase of the risk of getting liver diseases. One of the most common liver diseases is fatty liver, it has been categorized into two groups which are non-alcoholic fatty liver and alcoholic fatty liver. Over 90% of the alcohol consumed is broken down in the liver, therefore, excessive drinking will lead to the damage of liver cells. When the liver cells are continuously being damaged, the liver functions will decline affecting the detox process, which could result in other health consequences.

The Danger of Fatty Liver

Fatty liver could lead to scarring of liver, cirrhosis and even liver cancer which is irreversible. Cirrhosis could be developed after 10 years of heavy drinking. According to statistics, over 90% of the heavy drinkers suffer from fatty liver problems, approximately 25% develop alcoholic hepatitis and up to 15% develop liver cirrhosis.

Signs of unhealthy liver cells

Fatty liver could be asymptomatic in the early stage, therefore, it is very important to keep track of the condition of your liver. There are some signals which might be due to your liver problems including body weakness, oral bitterness, dryness or bad breath, poor sleeping quality, skin problems, easily tired and loss of appetite. If you notice some of the signals stated, you should monitor your liver health or seek for a proper liver check-up. It could also be monitored through a common blood test, where liver enzymes are tested, and they are important in monitoring your liver health. You could focus on Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Aspartate transaminase (AST). When the degeneration and the damage of liver cells continuously increase, the ALT and AST level will be affected.