The Sage Journal

The Sage Journal

Liver Health 101

Your liver is one of the hardest-working organs in your body. Liver disease accounts for two million deaths annually and is responsible for 4% of all deaths (1 out of every 25 deaths worldwide.)

Here are some of your liver's daily tasks.

  • Metabolism Maestro: The liver is your body’s metabolic HQ, processing carbs, fats, and proteins—turning glucose into glycogen for energy storage or breaking down fats for fuel when you need it.
  • Detox Dynamo: It’s like a 24/7 detox squad, filtering blood from your gut to neutralise toxins, drugs, and alcohol, keeping your system clean and safe.
  • Bile Boss: Produces bile (about 1 litre daily) which gets stored in the gallbladder and then dumped into your intestines to emulsify fats, making digestion a breeze.
  • Protein Powerhouse: Synthesises essential proteins like albumin (keeps blood volume in check) and clotting factors (stops you bleeding out from a paper cut).
  • Storage Superstar: Acts as a warehouse for vitamins (A, D, B12), iron, and glycogen, releasing them when your body sends an SOS.
  • Waste Warrior: Converts ammonia, a toxic by-product of protein breakdown, into urea, which your kidneys then flush out via urine.
  • Immune Ally: Packed with Kupffer cells, it’s a frontline defender, munching up pathogens and old blood cells to keep your immune game strong.
  • Recycling Ruler: Breaks down old red blood cells, recycling iron and turning heme into bilirubin for excretion, keeping your blood fresh and functional.

The liver’s basically the ultimate multitasker—think of it as your body’s chemist, chef, cleaner, and bouncer all rolled into one!

A "sluggish" liver isn’t a medical term, but it’s often used to describe when the liver isn’t functioning at its peak—think of it as running on low battery. Contributing factors:

  • Alcohol Overload: Too much booze forces the liver to work overtime detoxing ethanol, leading to fat build-up (fatty liver) and inflammation, slowing it down.
  • Poor Nutrition: Consistently consuming nutritionally depleted foods is frequently associated with disorders of the liver.
  • Junk Food Fallout: Diets high in sugar, trans fats, and processed carbs can clog the liver with fat (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), making it sluggish like a traffic jam in there.
  • Viral Attacks: Hepatitis viruses (A, B, C) can inflame the liver, damaging its cells and gumming up its ability to filter, metabolise, and produce bile.
  • Toxin Build-up: Overexposure to drugs (like paracetamol overdoses), chemicals, or heavy metals can overwhelm the liver’s detox system, leaving it bogged down.
  • Clogged Pipes: Gallstones or bile duct blockages stop bile from flowing out, backing up the system and stressing the liver’s production line.
  • Lack of Fuel: Poor nutrition—low protein or vitamin deficiencies (like B12 or choline)—starves the liver of what it needs to churn out proteins and energy.
  • Chronic Stress: Conditions like diabetes or obesity pile extra work on the liver, especially with insulin resistance, leading to fat accumulation and sluggish performance.
  • Genetic Glitches: Rare disorders like Haemochromatosis (a  genetic iron overload condition) or Wilson’s disease (copper overload) can gum up the liver’s machinery over time.

Picture it like this: the liver’s a high-performance engine and if you flood it with junk, dent it with viruses, or starve it of maintenance, it’s not going purr like it should!

When your liver is working well, your body feels energised, clear, and balanced.

Supporting your liver is one of the most powerful steps you can take toward lifelong health. With simple changes to your diet, lifestyle, and environment, you can lighten your liver’s burden and unlock your body’s natural ability to heal itself.

 

EXPLORE OUR LIVER HEALTH COLLECTION

EXPLORE A 6 DAY LIVER CLEANSE PROGRAM

EXPLORE A CLEANING GREEN SOUP FOR LIVER HEALTH

* Information and statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your doctor. If you have a severe medical condition or health concern, see your physician.

 

References:

 

Barouki, R., Samson, M., Blanc, E. B., Colombo, M., Zucman-Rossi, J., Lazaridis, K. N., Miller, G. W., & Coumoul, X. (2023). The exposome and liver disease - how environmental factors affect liver health. Journal of Hepatology, 79(2).

 

Berná G, Romero-Gomez M. The role of nutrition in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Pathophysiology and management. Liver Int. 2020 Feb;40 Suppl 1:102-108.

 

Devarbhavi H, Asrani SK, Arab JP, Nartey YA, Pose E, Kamath PS. Global burden of liver disease: 2023 update. J Hepatol. 2023 Aug;79(2):516-537. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2023.03.017. Epub 2023 Mar 27.

 

Jackson AA. Nutrition and Liver Health. Dig Dis. 2017;35(4):411-417. doi: 10.1159/000456596. Epub 2017 May 3.

 

Morisco F, Vitaglione P, Amoruso D, Russo B, Fogliano V, Caporaso N. Foods and liver health. Mol Aspects Med. 2008 Feb-Apr;29(1-2):144-50. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2007.09.003. Epub 2007 Oct 7.