How to reverse your biological age by decades and heal your liver

The liver is your body’s hardest-working organ.

It’s the place where everything is processed, and plays a central role in weight loss, digestion, immunity, blood sugar control, hormone regulation and more.

Clinical nutritionist Sarah Di Lorenzo, author of The Liver Repair Plan, says the liver is ‘critical for our good overall health’.

‘If your liver is not well, then your entire body will know about it,’ she says. ‘When your liver health is poor, it’s a roadblock to reaching your health goals.

‘Think about weight loss. Your liver is involved in your metabolism, so if it’s not working properly then your metabolism is impacted.

‘When people improve their liver health, the weight starts falling off, while their skin, energy, mood, libido, stress and sleep improves.’ 

In her new book, The Liver Repair Plan, Sarah Di Lorenzo shares practical advice for keeping the liver healthy, including the best vitamins, minerals and supplements for liver health.

She also reveals the surprising benefits of coffee – and the exact amount you should drink per day to reduce your risk of liver cancer and liver disease.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS FOR LIVER HEALTH

B VITAMINS

This group of vitamins can help with liver disease symptoms, especially because liver disease is linked to B1, B6 and B12 deficiencies. B1 deficiency is also linked to a decline in memory and coordination, and B1 can cause numbness from nerve damage. B12 deficiency is linked to anaemia. The liver stores 90 per cent of our B12, and when the liver is damaged, B12 stores decrease. B vitamins can lower inflammation.

VITAMIN C

An antioxidant, vitamin C fights free radicals, lowering your risk of developing disease, and helps to prevent fat from accumulating in the liver. If you don’t have enough antioxidants, the resulting oxidative stress leads to cellular damage and liver disease.

VITAMIN D

This vitamin can help to prevent inflammation and metabolic liver disease. People with chronic liver disease usually have vitamin D deficiency. If your vitamin D is really low, you have a higher risk of cirrhosis (liver scarring). You need vitamin D to absorb calcium for bone health; a complication of chronic liver disease is osteoporosis. Vitamin D is also important for your immunity, energy and mental health.

Some interesting research links hepatitis B with vitamin D deficiency.

VITAMIN E

People with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (or MASLD, formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) have low levels of vitamin E in the blood because of oxidative stress. Vitamin E is an antioxidant, helping to balance out the free radicals that cause oxidative stress. Vitamin E reduces inflammation and fat in the liver.

VITAMIN K

This fat-soluble vitamin helps with blood clotting and reduces the risk of bleeding.

MAGNESIUM

A deficiency in magnesium is linked to the development of MASLD.

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

This is a group of good fats made up of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Omega-3s lower liver inflammation and help limit fibrosis and other liver damage. Plus, they can help treat MASLD by reducing fat in the liver.

We need omega-3s – our body can’t produce them.

SELENIUM

Low selenium levels are directly associated with chronic liver disease.

ZINC

A deficiency in zinc is linked to liver disease. Plus, zinc is great for boosting immunity.

MANAGE MEDICATIONS AND SUPPLEMENTS

So many of my patients seem to keep taking medication for years and years without reviewing it. Some patients have been on antidepressants for 30 years without a review. Others are taking blood pressure medication even when they’ve made diet and lifestyle changes. Still others are taking loads of supplements without knowing why they’re taking them in the first place.

I’m forever telling people to review their medication. Medications have their place when people need them. A lot of people take NSAIDs such as ibuprofen all too easily.

Be aware of kava and black cohosh supplements – they’ve been known to strain the liver.

The liver will be less stressed with less medication and unnecessary supplements, so only take what you need and what’s been prescribed by your doctor or healthcare provider. Many supplements available claim to detox the liver and improve its health. Often, they contain milk thistle, artichoke leaf or dandelion root – there’s no evidence these work.

The best success comes with diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

If you have liver disease, be careful of liver supplements. Some can be dangerous and further damage your liver, even causing severe failure.

A NOTE ABOUT COFFEE

Rejoice all coffee lovers (this includes me)! Coffee is rich in antioxidants. Drinking coffee reduces your risk of liver cancer as well as liver disease.

Just keep it sugar free.

It could be fair to say that coffee is one of the best beverages for liver health. Coffee helps lower your risk of cirrhosis, as well as lowering inflammation and liver disease in general. Researchers have even found that coffee drinkers with chronic liver disease have a lower risk of death than non-drinkers. 

Note: only the coffee has health benefits, not what you add to it. If you add sugar, artificial sweeteners and syrups, these will counteract the health effects of the coffee.

Coffee prevents the build-up of fat in the liver and increases the amazing antioxidant glutathione. Antioxidants fight free radicals (that damage our cells). Coffee lowers abnormal liver enzymes in people with liver diseases.

All teas, but especially green tea, reduce the levels of liver enzymes in people with MASLD. People who drink green tea regularly are less likely to develop liver cancer. For medicinal purposes, you should drink about 4–5 cups per day.

• This article is an edited extract from The Liver Repair Plan by Sarah Di Lorenzo. You can buy the book here.