Factors / Compounds That Adversely Affect The Liver

The liver plays the main role for cleansing our systems of all the bad stuff. However it is susceptible to the toxicity of these agents. Many things such as drugs, alcohol, natural chemicals, food and pollution can affect liver health. This is why it is important to be responsible for what you put into your body on a daily basis.

Drug-induced liver injury is responsible for 5% of all hospital admissions and 50% of all acute liver failures. Over 1000 drugs have been listed as causing liver injury. Some of these drugs are things many use frequently, unaware of the affects they have on their liver. Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) is a prime example of a common drug that can cause major liver issues. It is generally well tolerated in prescribed dosages but if overdosed it is the most common cause of drug-induced liver disease and acute liver failure worldwide.

Anabolic steroids can adversely affect the liver. By reason of this enhanced bodybuilders can be at risk due to their drug intake. Oral AAS are the most damaging to the liver but not all oral AAS should be a concern. Generally 17AA are the classification of oral steroid you should be most concerned with. This 17AA modification allows the steroid to pass through the liver and avoid excretion. These group of steroids can negatively affect the production of bile in the liver. When the flow of bile is stopped from the liver to the duodenum this is known as cholestasis. Our bodies need bile to help break down fat. Most toxins that enter the liver are fat soluble and the liver needs to change them to water soluble so they can be eliminated.

Furthermore, when bile is stopped from entering the small intestine, it cannot eliminate bilirubin. When Bilirubin levels build up it causes a yellowish colour in the eyes and skin known as Jaundice. The effect these orals have on bile levels disrupts your liver in numerous ways. The toxins it can usually eliminate are trapped and this will soon lead to an overall toxic state.

Some common anabolic steroids that could damage your liver over time include:

Methyldrostanolone (Superdrol)
Methandrostenolone (Dianabol)
Oxymetholone (Anadrol)
Fluoxymesterone (Halotestin)
4-Chlorodehydromethyltestosterone (Turinabol)

Alcohol is another major problem when it comes to liver health. It affects the way your liver handles fat and this can lead to major problems. Evena fter just a few days of heavy drinking large fatty globules can start to development throughout the liver. For some a bottle of wine a few days per week could lead to future problems.

Nutrition is another factor in liver health. The liver stores most of our nutrients so it’s important to take many in to aid in it’s many processes. Moreover, anything bad we consume has the potential for damage. Fatty liver disease has even been linked to poor nutrition and obesity. Fatty liver doesn’t have to be a very serious condition if eating/drinking habits change but if left it can worsen over time.

Overall there are various factors that can negatively affect liver health. Most may think they are fine as they don’t drink large amounts of alcohol or take large doses of oral steroids or painkillers. However, each factor can cause a cumulative effect so be extremely careful when using more than one liver toxic agent.

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