10 Of The Worst Common Toxins That Damage Your Liver

Your liver is a remarkable organ. It is the only one that can regenerate itself. However, if you abide by a lifestyle and diet that restricts its ability to remain healthy, then the liver damage is bound to happen faster than the organ can regenerate. This becomes a dangerous and life-threatening situation. While Alcohol is one of the most dangerous of ingredients that cause permanent liver damage, there are others which also should never be taken lightly. There are ingredients such as medications, foods, and supplements which should either be avoided or taken in moderation and with caution. As they say, too much of a good thing is bad, so here are the 12 of those common ingredients that make their way into many a household in the guise of medication and supplements that are slowly damaging your liver.

1 Large doses of iron

While iron supplements may be prescribed by a doctor in the case of deficiencies and anemic conditions, too much can seriously damage your liver. The main reason for this is that your body can’t eliminate excess iron and it ends up in various organs, tissues and mostly your liver. Excess iron can scar your liver and even cause liver cirrhosis that is a more severe form of liver damage leading to deterioration and malfunction. This can ultimately lead to liver cancer.

According to the The National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia, the standard recommendation is a maximum of 45 mg of iron for those above 14. In the case of excess iron, or the condition of hemochromatosis when detected early can be treated but if not, it can lead to dangerous complications like liver cancer.

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2Supplements

A variety of food in a good healthy diet will provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need daily. In the event of deficiencies, you may be prescribed supplements but avoid high dose supplements without a doctor’s recommendation as these could have potent side effects. They could also have interactions with other medications that could be truly damaging to your liver. What you should do is make a note of the various supplements you take including herbal teas, herbal remedies, vitamins and nutritional supplements and discuss them with your doctor to see what should be avoided.

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3Cigarettes

It takes no rocket science to understand that smoking kills and besides damaging the lungs, it also damages the liver. It can also increase the risk of liver cancer and reduce the ability of the liver to flush out toxins from your body which is the liver’s main job. This leaves you vulnerable to the dangerous side effects of medications on liver.

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4Cannabis

If you are a frequent user of cannabis, then you are also at high risk of liver damage. According to research, cannabis suppresses the immune system and increases the chances of disease. Those with hepatitis C using cannabis increase their risk of severe fibrosis that leads to liver cirrhosis. You may have heard how much cannabis is good to some extent as a treatment and side effects of hepatitis but you need to understand that this may harm you more than doing good. Given the fact that there are several articles, research, and websites that advocate the use of cannabis for disease without effects on the liver, there is also research that says the opposite. The focus here is patients with hepatitis C who should be careful while using cannabis. The results and verdicts regardless, always consult your doctor first to weigh the pros and cons of taking something new.

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