How to Reduce Liver Inflammation? Foods and Habits

When you think of an inflamed liver, don’t just picture an enlarged liver, such as hepatomegaly; also consider fatty liver, which can result not only from fat consumption but also from poor nutrition—in other words, an excess of foods that are harmful to you, especially simple carbohydrates. As you can see, the key to reducing liver inflammation still lies in your diet, specifically in your Immunonutrition. This refers to how your body—especially your immune system—reacts to the foods you eat, depending on whether they are beneficial or harmful to you. Your liver then metabolizes their nutrients so your body can use them.

Habits and foods to reduce liver inflammation

Beyond looking for home remedies, medicinal plants, or natural treatments, these tools can help you change habits, adopt a healthier lifestyle, and support liver health:

Increase the consumption of anti-inflammatory foods‍

Above all, ensure your diet works for you—that you can digest it well and that it’s relatively low in carbohydrates and very low in ultra-processed foods. Excess ultra-processed foods are stored in your liver as fat, impairing its function.

Some examples of foods to include in a healthy diet based on your Food Sensitivities (Mega A et al., 2022) include:

• Artichoke
• Olives or olive oil
• Asparagus
• Onion
• Green tea
• Milk thistle infusions
• Ginger, turmeric, and dandelion
• Fruits like papaya, lemon, and grapefruit

Avoid unnecessary medication‍

Avoid self-medicating, especially, since many medications are metabolized in the liver. If taken for prolonged periods beyond what your specialist recommends, they can overload the liver (Mingzhe Zhao et al., 2021).

Reduce the intake of ultra-processed foods‍

Ultra-processed foods are major contributors to modern health issues. They are high in grains, dairy, and particularly simple carbohydrates like corn syrup, which is high in fructose. Ultra-processed foods are metabolized directly in the liver, overloading and inflaming it.

Engage in physical activity‍

Physical exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle that can help reduce inflammation and stress. Choose the activity you enjoy most and can do comfortably.

Looking for a diet for fatty liver? We recommend reading this article: Fatty Liver: Which foods are allowed and which to avoid?

What causes liver inflammation?‍

Since your liver acts like a personal lab that filters what you eat and what you’re exposed to daily, it can become inflamed when overloaded with toxins, alcohol, and more frequently, excess carbohydrates or ultra-processed foods.

What is an inflamed liver?‍

An inflamed liver can present as an enlarged liver, like hepatomegaly, fatty liver, or hepatitis (Danielle Tholey, 2023), and ultimately, cirrhosis—when the liver has lost part of its function due to scar tissue buildup (Tae Hoon Lee, 2022).

What are the symptoms of an inflamed liver?‍

Liver disease doesn’t always show noticeable signs and symptoms. According to Mayo Clinic, if symptoms do appear, they may include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Waking up at night
• Nausea or vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Abdominal swelling and pain
• Swelling in legs and ankles
• Itchy skin
• Dark urine
• Pale stool
• Easy bruising

The importance of a healthy liver‍

Your liver acts like a personal laboratory. If it becomes inflamed from consuming foods that are hard for you to digest and that inflame your gut, it can trigger your immune system. When inflamed, the liver must detoxify the body. While doing so, it stores some of those toxins as fat, preventing it from carrying out essential functions, such as:

• Bilirubin clearance: a waste byproduct of hemoglobin.
• Bile production: necessary for fat digestion.
• Plasma protein production: such as albumin, globulins, alkaline phosphatase, and transaminases, which are measured in blood tests to assess liver function.
• Processing nutrients from the intestine: After intestinal digestion, nutrients enter the liver via the portal vein, where the liver completes the metabolism of each macronutrient—proteins, fats, and carbohydrates—so they can be used as energy or stored.
• Iron storage: Absorbed iron is stored as ferritin or used to form hemoproteins (hemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochromes, etc.). Excess iron is deposited as ferritin and hemosiderin in the liver’s reticuloendothelial system, spleen, and bone marrow (L. Toxqui et al., 2010).
• Synthesis of clotting factors: The liver produces clotting factors needed to form blood clots and prevent bleeding. It also produces vitamin K, essential for the synthesis of these factors (Center for Liver Disease, Columbia University).
• Drug metabolism: Many drugs are ultimately metabolized in the liver, which helps detoxify them.

That’s why, if you don’t know where to start or feel you’ve tried everything, you can always personalize your 3R Immunonutrition Protocol through your NutriWhite Consultation with our team of NutriWhite Ambassadors, who will guide you in reducing liver inflammation.

References

• Deficiencia y sobrecarga de hierro; implicaciones en el estado oxidativo y la salud cardiovascular. L. Toxqui1, A. De Piero, V. Courtois, S. Bastida, F. J. Sánchez-Muniz and Ma. P. Vaquero Nutr. Hosp. vol. 25 no. 3 Madrid may./jun. 2010.
• Center for Liver Disease and Transplantation Personalized, Multidisciplinary Care for All Aspects of Liver Cancer, Disease, and Transplantation. Call (877) LIVER MD/ (877) 548-3763 Hígado graso no alcohólico (esteatohepatitis no alcohólica, NAFLD) Por Danielle Tholey , MD, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University Revisado/Modificado ene. 2023
• Cirrosis. Por Tae Hoon Lee, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Revisado/Modificado ene. 2022
• Mega A, Marzi L, Kob M, Piccin A, Floreani A. Food and Nutrition in the Pathogenesis of Liver Damage. Nutrients. 2021 Apr 16;13(4):1326. doi: 10.3390/nu13041326. PMID: 33923822; PMCID: PMC8073814.
• Zhao M, Ma J, Li M, Zhang Y, Jiang B, Zhao X, Huai C, Shen L, Zhang N, He L, Qin S. Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Drug Metabolism in Humans. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Nov 26;22(23):12808. doi: 10.3390/ijms222312808. PMID: 34884615; PMCID: PMC8657965.