Love Your Liver Awareness Month
January is Love Your Liver & Dry January
The start of the year sees us celebrating a very important, but often overlooked organ – the liver. Responsible for no less than 500 different functions around the body, we think it deserves more recognition!
With this in mind, we’ve spoken to our consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist, Andy King. With advanced training in his field, Andy is a recognised leader in medical education and training.
As Dry January and Love Your Liver month are well underway, Andy shares everything you need to know about this vital organ. From the role it plays in our everyday health to what’s causing the rise of liver disease in the UK, and what we can do to maintain a healthy liver, no stone has been left unturned.
What is the liver and what role does it play in our everyday health?
The liver is a vital organ and is one of the largest in the body. It’s located in the upper right side of the abdomen, beneath the diaphragm and it plays a crucial role in various physiological processes which are essential for maintaining your overall health. These include:
- Digestion
- Detoxification
- Nutrient storage
- Regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels
- Production of blood clotting factors
- Keeping our immune system healthy
- Managing metabolic processes
This is to name just a few! As such, proper liver function is vital, and liver dysfunction can lead to serious health problems. When the liver stops working, almost everything else does too!
Are there any early warning signs of liver problems which can be easily overlooked?
One of the main challenges in diagnosing liver disease is that it often develops silently. In its early stages, it’s typically asymptomatic — meaning there are no noticeable symptoms. Even when symptoms do occur, they’re usually vague and easily mistaken for other issues, such as fatigue or a loss of appetite.
It’s not until the disease has progressed that more specific and recognisable symptoms appear. These can include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), abdominal or leg swelling, persistent itching, and unusual bruising or bleeding.
Because early-stage liver disease rarely causes symptoms, it’s often discovered incidentally — for example, during blood tests or imaging carried out for another reason. It may also be picked up in patients who are regularly monitored due to known risk factors.
If you’re concerned about your liver health, don’t wait for symptoms to appear before seeking help. Key risk factors include being overweight or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Early detection makes a significant difference.
Liver disease is on the rise in the UK, what do you think could be contributing to this?
Increased alcohol consumption remains a major contributor to liver disease. The rise in binge drinking — particularly among younger adults — is leading to a growing number of cases of alcohol-related liver damage.
At the same time, lifestyle factors such as poor diet, obesity, and physical inactivity are fuelling the rise in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Diets high in processed foods, unhealthy fats, and added sugars, combined with sedentary habits, are contributing to rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome — all of which are closely linked to liver complications. In particular, insulin resistance associated with diabetes and metabolic syndrome can promote fat build-up in the liver, increasing the risk of NAFLD.
The modern diet, often rich in refined carbohydrates and low in nutrients, plays a central role in the increasing prevalence of fatty liver disease.
What’s especially concerning is that we’re now seeing people diagnosed at younger ages and with more advanced stages of liver disease. The cost of living crisis has likely exacerbated this trend, as healthier food options become less affordable for many.
What preventative measures can be taken to maintain a healthy liver?
Fortunately, there are lots of things we can do to protect the health of our liver.
Limit Alcohol Intake
Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of liver disease, including alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and cirrhosis. To protect your liver, it’s important to stick to recommended guidelines — no more than 14 units of alcohol per week for both men and women.
Incorporating alcohol-free days is just as important. Aim for at least three days a week without alcohol to give your liver a chance to rest and recover.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Carrying excess weight significantly increases the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which can progress to serious complications like cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Sustaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet and regular exercise is vital for liver health. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week — such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming — to help prevent obesity and insulin resistance, both of which are closely linked to liver disease.
Follow a balanced diet
- Eat nutrient-rich foods: focus on a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats (e.g., from olive oil, nuts and avocados). This supports liver function and reduces the risk of fat build-up in the liver.
- Limit processed foods and sugars: avoid excess consumption of processed foods, refined carbohydrates and sugary drinks, which can contribute to weight gain and fatty liver.
- Drink plenty of water: staying hydrated helps the liver filter out toxins.
- Practice safe hygiene: avoid exposure to contaminated food or water that can lead to hepatitis A and other liver infections
Manage Chronic Health Conditions
Chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance significantly increase the risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Managing your blood sugar levels through a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and prescribed medication (if needed) is key to protecting your liver.
High cholesterol and elevated triglycerides can also contribute to fatty liver disease. It’s important to have your cholesterol levels checked regularly and take proactive steps — such as lifestyle changes or medication — to keep them within a healthy range.
With Dry January and Love Your Liver awareness month encourage people to take steps towards enjoying better health. What are some benefits of reducing alcohol intake?
Chronic alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of liver disease, contributing to conditions such as fatty liver disease, alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Cutting back on alcohol allows the liver time to heal and reduces the strain placed on this vital organ.
Reducing alcohol intake also has the added benefit of lowering your overall calorie consumption, which can support weight loss or help maintain a healthy weight — both important for liver health.
Beyond the liver, drinking less alcohol offers a wide range of health benefits, including lower blood pressure, a reduced risk of heart disease and certain cancers, and improved immune function. It’s a simple yet powerful step towards better overall wellbeing.
There has been a 42% increase in premature deaths from liver diesease since 2001
What should people do if they’re worried about the health of their liver?
The first step is to book an appointment with a doctor. They’ll assess your symptoms, review your medical history, and talk through any potential risk factors. It’s really important to be open and honest about how you’re feeling, so your healthcare provider can offer the most accurate advice and care.
We can carry out simple, non-invasive tests to assess liver health, including blood tests and a FibroScan — a specialised scan similar to an ultrasound that can detect liver abnormalities quickly. This scan is available in most hospitals and can also be accessed privately.
If you have certain risk factors, such as a history of intravenous drug use, unprotected sex, or blood transfusions before routine screening was introduced, your doctor may also recommend testing for hepatitis B or C — both of which can cause long-term liver damage if left untreated.
As with many health conditions, early detection is key. The sooner liver disease is identified, the more effective treatment and lifestyle changes can be. Left unchecked, liver disease can progress to cirrhosis — a serious, irreversible condition — so acting early is vital for long-term health.
Are there any new treatments or medications for chronic liver conditions such as hepatitis or cirrhosis?
We now have excellent treatment options for hepatitis B and C. Historically, treatment for hepatitis came with significant side effects. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) medications have revolutionised hepatitis C treatment however, offering much more tolerable options. Furthermore, we can now cure hepatitis C in nearly 100% of patients.
Unfortunately, there’s no cure for hepatitis B at the moment, but antiviral medication can help reduce the viral load and lower the risk of complications like cirrhosis and liver cancer. As a result, we’re not seeing as many liver conditions caused by hepatitis these days.
The increased use of weight loss injections is also helping to reduce cases of liver disease because, in addition to promoting weight loss, they also help manage diabetes.
Are there any liver-related health issues you feel need more attention from the public?
The main thing is making people aware that risk factors for liver disease are common but symptoms don’t usually occur until it's progressed to a late stage.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are two conditions which deserve greater public awareness.. NAFLD is becoming one of the most common liver diseases globally, and NASH is expected to surpass hepatitis C as a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver transplantation in the coming years.
It’s also critical that we remember alcohol consumption remains a significant cause of liver disease worldwide. Binge drinking and heavy drinking is still widely accepted, even encouraged, among younger age groups and people often don’t recognise the severity of alcohol-related liver damage until it’s too late.
What advice would you give to someone recently diagnosed with a liver condition?
Learn about your condition so you can understand how to manage it properly. Speak to your healthcare provider about your diagnosis and ongoing treatment. There’s a high probability you’re going to have to make some lifestyle changes, for which support is available.
The British Liver Trust website is a brilliant source of help and information.
You can also get in touch with Get Well Soon to find out how we can help diagnose and/or manage your condition.