How alcohol affects the liver

Detoxification is one of hundreds of physiological functions that depend on the liver, especially after alcohol intake. Prolonged and excessive alcohol consumption can damage not only the liver but also the brain and heart.

Ashwin Dhanda, associate professor of hepatology at the University of Plymouth, clarified that consuming too much alcohol is linked to a number of diseases, including fatty liver degeneration, which is the accumulation of fat in the liver, and liver cirrhosis, which is the formation of scars. Certain conditions may not manifest symptoms until much later in the course of the damage.

First of all, drinking alcohol causes fat in the liver. The liver becomes inflamed due to this fat. The liver tries to heal itself in reaction by producing scar tissue. If this continues to happen unchecked, the liver can develop. cirrhosisor an entire network of scars separated by small patches of healthy liver.

When the liver fails in the late stages of cirrhosis, patients may have jaundice, fluid retention edema, drowsiness, and confusion. This can be fatal and is a serious matter.

Alcoholics with severe scarring or liver failure are less likely to die from liver failure if they abstain from drinking for a few years.

Additionally, quitting alcohol has a positive impact on blood pressure, brain function, and sleep.

The liver is remarkably resistant to injury. However, if there have already been many scars, it cannot be regenerated as new.

Leave two or three alcohol-free days a week and drink in moderation if you want to take good care of your liver. This way, maintaining your health will not require you to rely on the miracle of liver self-renewal.