Liver disease: NHS Doctor talks about link with alcohol
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According to the British Liver Trust, one of the first places to look for symptoms is the colour of your faeces.
If it is dark black and tarry, this may indicate the presence of fatty liver disease.
It won’t only be your poo that will be affected, your urine will be affected too.
Dark urine has been identified as a symptom of liver disease.
Another condition of fatty liver disease is encephalopathy; the medical term to means periods of confusion and poor memory.
These aren’t the only symptoms of liver disease, however.
According to the British Liver Trust, these are the others to look out for.
• Yellowness of the eyes and skin
• Bruising easily
• Swelling of your lower abdominal area
• Vomiting blood
• Itching skin
Liver disease can be caused by a number of factors.
One of the primary factors is an unhealthy diet.
A diet consisting of too much sugar and alcohol will increase the levels of fat in your liver and your chances of developing the condition.
A subsequent result of an unhealthy diet will be weight gain, another factor that can put you at risk of other conditions.
Amongst this is type 2 diabetes.
Those with the condition are more likely to develop liver disease.
Another risk factor is an underactive thyroid; the thyroid produces hormones that help regulate the body’s metabolism.
An underactive thyroid can lead to weight gain and therefore increase your risk.
Liver disease doesn’t just affect those who are overweight, you can develop liver disease even if you’re a healthy weight.
The final main risk factor is insulin resistance, here the cells in your muscles, fat and liver can’t easily take up glucose from the blood.
This impairs the ability of insulin to supress lipolysis, one of the processes through which fat is broken down.
There is no agreed medical treatment for liver disease, but improving your diet, increasing how much you exercise and losing weight will help the liver to recover.
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