Monday, 18 June 2012

Liver Cirrhosis – Diet and Lifestyle


Liver cirrhosis is a serious disease that affects the liver tissues. The healthy liver tissues are replaced by fibrous scar tissues and regenerative nodules that impair the ability of the liver to perform its vital functions. The flow of blood into the liver gets restricted and the liver gradually loses the ability to regenerate itself.

When you reach the last stages of liver cirrhosis, doctors may recommend a liver transplant. This may not be an easy solution, so one should take care to regulate one’s life and begin a dedicated anti-cirrhosis diet. In order to decelerate the process of liver cirrhosis or thwart further damage to the organ, one needs to adhere to a healthy lifestyle and a specific dietary regimen. Given below are foods that liver cirrhosis patients should consume:

Antioxidants: The diet of the patient should be rich in antioxidants that can be found in fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables and whole grains. These foods provide antioxidant vitamins that are depleted from the body during cirrhosis and keep the body healthier in general.

Vegetables: The vegetables that are considered to help in such condition are tomato, carrot, onion, cucumber, bitter gourd, radish, squash, egg-plant, beetroot and papaya.

Coffee: Though there are arguments regarding the efficacy of consuming coffee, a 2006 study indicates that freshly brewed coffee (not instant coffee) is considered to be helpful in curing liver cirrhosis. One should try and drink at least 2-3 cups per day.

Vitamins: Few vitamins such as A, B, E and K are believed to be good for the liver. Make sure that you are consuming enough of these vitamins in your diet. You can also take a multivitamin supplement instead.

Given here is a list of food items that cirrhosis patients should take care to reduce from their daily diet or avoid totally:

Alcohol: Cirrhosis patients should strictly avoid consuming alcohol, even though excessive alcoholism may not be cause of the disease. Alcohol severely damages the liver.

Fatty Foods: The liver produces bile that helps in digestion of food. As the production of bile gets affected during liver cirrhosis, taking fatty food may lead to indigestion. But such food should not be completely avoided. You can opt for foods such as nuts, avocado, fish etc.

Animal Protein: Animal proteins can create toxins in the body and the liver might face difficulty to filter such toxins. By reducing intake of such foods, the amount of fat and cholesterol is reduced in the body that the liver has to deal with.

Iron-Rich Foods: Patients should avoid having foods that are very rich in iron such as red meat, liver and iron-fortified cereals. There is no requirement to reduce intake of green leafy vegetables as the amount of iron in them are minimal. Avoid cooking in iron-coated vessels.

Salt: Intake of salt should preferably be reduced to about 2,000 mg of sodium. This helps in preventing excess water retention in the body.


 Ayurvedic Liver Medicine    Herbal Treatment Cirrhosis

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