Alcohol consumption continuously damages your liver silently until one day you discover cirrhosis, and it’s too late! Dr. Dao Thi Yen Phi from the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Training and Continuing Education for Healthcare Staff says:
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| Some say that drinking more makes you healthier and… younger, because life is always fun? (Photo: ttvnol) |
– Consider the liver as a multifunctional factory of the body. A person can live without a section of intestine, a part of the stomach, one kidney, a few ribs, or even a lung, but no one can live without a liver.
If toxins are introduced accidentally, there is no blame, but some people diligently consume large amounts of toxins daily that affect the liver.
* Some say that drinking more makes you healthier and… younger because life is always fun?
– Nutritionists recommend consuming one glass of red wine daily (between 60-150ml) to protect cardiovascular health and extend lifespan (up to 250ml).
Alcohol from beer and wine is metabolized through the liver before being expelled through the kidneys. If the amount of alcohol consumed is low, under 150ml of ethanol per day (about 1.5 standard glasses) – which is the maximum – and if consumed slowly, the liver can easily metabolize and expel it without significantly affecting liver function.
However, when consuming alcohol in amounts exceeding this limit in a short time, drinking rapidly can cause blood alcohol concentration to rise quickly, forcing the liver to work at full speed to reduce the alcohol level in the blood as quickly as possible. If the liver is overworked day in and day out, it will inevitably deteriorate rapidly.
* So when does drinking lead to reduced liver function?
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Dr. Dao Thi Yen Phi (Photo: TTO) |
– This is difficult to answer as it depends on each person’s genetic makeup, the amount of alcohol consumed daily, the way of drinking, whether eating while drinking, existing liver conditions, use of medications affecting the liver, exposure to environmental toxins, dietary habits, physical activity, and medication…
In the early stages of liver function decline, it is often unrecognized because no symptoms are present. The liver has a remarkable compensatory ability. Sometimes nearly 50% of liver cells can be damaged, yet the remaining liver cells can still increase their activity to maintain normal liver function.
When symptoms such as abdominal swelling, jaundice, hair loss, anemia… appear, your liver has already been damaged to 80-90%, indicating end-stage liver failure, and there is no way to save the liver anymore. Therefore, we should take care of our liver while it is still healthy; once it is damaged by 50%, it may already be too late to recover.
In addition to alcohol, which is a completely avoidable cause of cirrhosis, there are other unfortunate causes that we cannot avoid (such as in patients with hepatitis, poisoning, congenital metabolic disorders… naturally, in these individuals, alcohol is strictly prohibited).
* What are the signs of cirrhosis?
– Difficulty digesting food, frequent bloating, easy bruising, susceptibility to infections, bleeding, and pain or tension in the right upper abdomen. However, these symptoms are not always present – they can progress silently until cirrhosis becomes decompensated. If you notice any of the symptoms mentioned, you should immediately visit the internal medicine department of a general hospital for examination and monitoring.
* How long from cirrhosis to death?
– Once cirrhosis has developed, the only treatment is a liver transplant. Cirrhosis is divided into several stages; in the early stages, the liver still has the capacity to function, and the progression of cirrhosis depends on dietary habits, lifestyle… as analyzed above. When cirrhosis is at an advanced stage, the patient’s life expectancy is only measured in months.
* How to detect liver damage early?
– In developed countries, people undergo regular health check-ups every six months, which always include liver function tests, allowing them to detect early signs of liver function decline before any external symptoms appear.
In Vietnam, most people may not have the means to conduct tests every six months, so annual health check-ups should still be performed to detect any decline in liver function and potential causes affecting liver health.
Upon detection, interventions through diet, lifestyle, and medications can be applied to protect the liver for as long as possible. However, these measures do not mean that you will regain a liver as healthy as it once was. In conclusion, your liver is precious, so protect it to live a long life!
KIM SON conducted this article
