AIIMS-trained gastroenterologist shares 3 habits that destroy the liver before 40: Alcohol, ultra-processed food…

Liver health is dependent on everyday habits that may silently be harming the organ, points out Dr Sethi.

The liver is known to be the largest internal organ in the human body, and the only organ that can regenerate itself. According to the Cleveland Clinic website, it plays a crucial role in filtering blood, storing energy and producing bile for digestion.

As such, keeping the liver healthy is paramount to maintaining overall health. But certain habits come in the way and cause damage to the organ even in young people.

Taking to Instagram on July 1, Dr Saurabh Sethi, a California-based gastroenterologist trained in AIIMS, Harvard, and Stanford Universities, shared three such habits. They are presented as follows.

1. Daily alcohol, even in ‘moderate’ amounts

It is the popular perception that one alcoholic drink a day is not harmful to health, and a glass of red wine is even considered to be beneficial by many. However, such beliefs are completely baseless, noted Dr Sethi.

“There is no liver-safe threshold for alcohol - every drink adds metabolic burden your liver must process, and over the years that damage quietly accumulates into something irreversible,” he noted.

According to the gastroenterologist, up to 40 percent of people with moderate alcohol intake show changes associated with fatty liver disease on imaging.

2. Ultra-processed food eaten every single day

Ultra-processed foods are becoming more and more common in the everyday diet of the average individual. However, its harmful effects on gut health, and liver in particular, cannot be overstated, according to Dr Sethi.

In his words, “Excess fructose, refined carbs, and saturated fats drive fatty liver disease - and I am seeing it in people in their 20s and 30s at a rate that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.”

Since the early 2000s, fatty liver conditions in children and young adults have increased by approximately 40 percent, and Dr Sethi believes the consumption of ultra-processed foods is to blame.

3. Chronic unmanaged stress combined with poor sleep

Chronic stress and loss of sleep have become a part of the modern lifestyle, despite them wreaking havoc on health.

“Most people never connect these two to liver damage - but cortisol dysregulation drives visceral fat accumulation, and visceral fat is one of the most well-established drivers of fatty liver disease we know of,” shared Dr Sethi.

“Fatty liver patients show 65 percent higher cortisol levels than healthy controls - and that elevation tracks directly with disease severity,” he added.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.