The liver, the "silent guard" hidden in our body, silently undertakes the important tasks of metabolism, detoxification, generation and excretion of bile. It acts like the body's "chemical factory" and is deeply involved in the metabolism of sugars, proteins, and fats. For example, when we consume too much glucose, it will act like a diligent housekeeper, converting the excess glucose into glycogen and storing it, and then releasing glucose to keep blood sugar stable when the body needs energy. At the same time, it also shoulders the mission of detoxification, metabolizing the toxic substances in the body out of the body, and guarding our life and health. But once there is a problem with the liver, it can be a big trouble, and the impact on our health should not be underestimated. Today, I will tell you the story of Shen Yujun, a man from Hubei, and his liver.

Shen Yujun, a 48-year-old Hubei man, runs a local restaurant. The business in the store is still booming, but the two of them are busy from morning to night every day, and they are tired enough. At the end of a busy day, he likes to buy duck goods, pair them with a cold beer, and sit in front of the TV to watch a football game, a habit he has maintained for years. In addition, he is also a veteran smoker and has a lot of addiction to smoking. For a long time, such a lifestyle has made his health not very good, but he didn't take it too seriously.

那是 2015 年 7 月 22 日，沈玉軍在後廚忙碌著，處理完當天的訂單後，他剛坐下想喘口氣，突然胸口一陣壓榨性疼痛襲來，仿佛有一塊大石頭壓在上面 。同時，渾身一陣惡寒，臉色也從泛紅迅速變得煞白 。好一會兒，這陣難受勁兒才過去 。他試著起身活動，結果雙腿發軟，差點摔倒，幸好眼疾手快，及時抓住旁邊的桌子才穩住身形 。

On the way home at night, he was in a trance, and his right upper abdomen first had a dull pain, and then it turned into a burning pain. After a while, he clutched his stomach in pain and slowly curled up on the ground, so painful that he couldn't speak. Immediately afterward, his stomach churned, and he quickly clung to the building on the side of the road and vomited. When I got home, my face was frighteningly pale.

The next morning, his wife prepared his favorite fritters and fried roasted wheat, but when he looked at these foods, he not only lost his appetite, but also felt nauseous, and his stomach acid was surging, so he could only barely drink a glass of boiled water. It was not early, so he hurried to the toilet to wash up. Inadvertently, I looked up and found that my face was covered with a faint layer of yellow, and my pupils seemed to be a little yellow. At that time, he just thought that he was too tired recently to pay attention to it.

After another week or so, Shen Yujun noticed some small red spots on his skin, shaped like spider webs. At first, he thought he had accidentally rubbed something dirty, and rubbed it vigorously several times, but the spots didn't fall off. Now he muttered in his heart, and the more he thought about it, the more unsteady he became, so he decided to take a day off and go to the hospital.

When he arrived at the hospital, the doctor listened to his description of the symptoms and arranged blood tests, ultrasounds, and other items. The results of examination showed that the liver was full and the capsule was smooth, the echogenic density and thickening of the liver parenchyma were uneven, and the hepatic portal vein was not dilated. No abnormalities were found in the gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, etc. Looking at the liver function tests, aspartate aminotransferase is as high as 56U/L, and alanine aminotransferase is 0U/L. After comprehensive examinations, Shen Yujun was diagnosed with fatty liver with enhanced echogenicity of the liver parenchyma.

Seeing the results of the examination, Shen Yujun felt a "chuckle" in his heart, his hands began to tremble, and after repeatedly confirming that the information was correct, he nervously asked the doctor: "Why did I get fatty liver?" My life and diet look normal, what is wrong? ”

The doctor did not answer immediately, but carefully inquired about his lifestyle habits. Soon, the doctor found the crux of the problem: "Your disease is not a day or two, it is mainly related to your long-term smoking and drinking, and your usual eating habits are biased towards taste, which has a great impact on liver health." If you don't adjust it in time, it may develop into liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer, which is life-threatening. ”

Shen Yujun was scared a lot by these words, he never thought that his usual habits of not taking things seriously would bury such a big hidden danger. He was so frightened that he hurried to the doctor for advice on what to do. According to his condition, the doctor prescribed some medicines, and also told him to adjust his living habits, especially to reduce the intake of greasy and fishy food. After hearing this, Shen Yujun nodded heavily.

Back home, Shen Yujun was determined to change. In terms of diet, he strictly follows the principle of light, less oil and less salt, reduces the intake of red meat, and instead eats more vegetables and fruits to supplement nutrients to the body. As soon as he has free time, he goes out to exercise, play tai chi, take a walk, and exercise in different ways. In order to restore the health of the liver as soon as possible, he also developed a special healthy recipe with a detailed record of what to eat for three meals a day.

As the days passed, Shen Yujun obviously felt that his physical condition was getting better and better, his energy was full, and his voice was louder, and he was no longer as weak as before. Half a year passed, he looked in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised to find that the layer of yellow gas on his face had disappeared, his face had become ruddy, and the whole person looked full of vitality, not like a patient at all.

Shen Yujun was happy, and in order to confirm his physical condition, he decided to go to the hospital for a reexamination. While waiting for the results, he nervously paced back and forth in the hospital corridors, his eyes fixed on the place where the examination report was collected from time to time. Soon, the results came in, and the liver function index transaminase dropped to 253umol/L, which is too obvious compared to the previous 0umol/L.

When the doctor saw the examination report, his mouth opened wide in surprise: "How did you do it?" In such a short period of time, the liver function has recovered so well, I have been practicing medicine for so many years, and I have rarely encountered a person like you. ”

Shen Yujun smiled a little embarrassedly: "I'm just an ordinary person, I didn't find any famous doctors, and I didn't use any miracle medicine, I just seriously adjusted my living habits." Many people with liver disease think that as long as they eat lightly and exercise more, their liver can get better, but they don't know that the choice of food is also very important. For patients with liver disease, these three types of food must not be touched! ”

Three types of food to be eaten with caution by patients with liver disease

Fried foods: the "sweet burden" of the liver

The liver plays the role of the "commander" of fat metabolism in the human body. When we eat too much fat, our liver has to work overtime to produce more bile to help with digestion and to convert fat into energy or other compounds. For patients with liver disease, the liver function is already impaired, the ability to metabolize fat is reduced, and excessive fat intake is like adding a heavy burden to the already tired "commander", fat is easy to accumulate in the liver, further damaging liver cells, and may even develop into fatty liver . In addition, fried foods often contain trans fatty acids, and these "bad guys" can induce an inflammatory response in the body, which can make liver damage worse.

Pickled foods: the "invisible killer" of the liver

A high-salt diet is a major cause of hypertension, which is inseparable from the development of liver cirrhosis and liver disease. For patients with cirrhosis, excessive salt intake is like opening a floodgate, which can easily lead to sodium and water retention and aggravation of ascites symptoms. In addition, many pickled foods are added with artificial additives such as preservatives and nitrites, which are like "poisons" hidden in food, and will produce harmful products when metabolized in the body. As the main detoxification organ, the liver is difficult to effectively deal with these harmful substances in the face of the limited detoxification ability of patients with liver disease, and then damage liver cells. To make matters worse, nitrites in preserved foods can be converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines in the body, which is undoubtedly a huge threat to people with liver disease whose immune system and liver function have been compromised.

Sweets: The "Sweet Trap" for the Liver

A high-sugar diet can cause blood sugar to fluctuate like a roller coaster, which can hurt the liver, which is responsible for regulating blood sugar. For patients with liver disease, the ability to metabolize sugar is already reduced, and excessive sugar intake is like overloading the liver. Moreover, excess sugar, especially fructose, is easily converted into fat after being metabolized in the liver, which "contributes to the formation of fatty liver". Foods high in sugar may also make people gain weight, and obesity is an important risk factor for the development of fatty liver and other liver diseases.

[This content is a story-based medical and health science article, and any name, place name, or event that appears in the article except for the health science content is artistic processing, and it is not intended to offend or belittle any individual, group or organization. If there is any similarity, it is purely a coincidence, please read it rationally. 】

Proofread by Zhuang Wu