What Can I Do to Protect My Liver Against Alcohol?
Dear Dr. Mirkin,
How does alcohol damage the liver and what can I do to protect my liver?
Answer: When you pour alcohol on cut skin, it hurts because alcohol damages cells. The pain is caused by alcohol binding to water and pulling the water molecule out of cells to damage them. Most alcohol that you drink goes to your liver because it is the only organ that can break down alcohol. The damage to liver cells turns on your immunity so your own antibodies and immune cells attack the liver as they would do to invading bacteria. This is called inflammation.
A recent study from Yale shows that taking aspirin twice a day may help to prevent liver damage from alcohol by shutting down the prostaglandins that cause inflammation (Journal of Clinical Investigation, February 2009). However, both aspirin and alcohol can irritate the stomach, so anyone with stomach problems should not take either.
The generally accepted guideline is that up to two drinks a day will not cause harm, but more than that can damage the liver. A drink is five ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 2/3rds of a shot glass of any liquor.
A practicing physician for more than 40 years and a radio talk show host for 25, Dr. Mirkin is a graduate of Harvard University and Baylor University College of Medicine. He is one of a very few doctors board-certified in four specialties: Sports Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics and Pediatric Immunology.
Read more at www.drmirkin.com.
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Comments
Mr. Jorma Takala
I can answer this one....
Don't drink!
Anonymous
All alcohol damages the body. For details check my website on "Alcohol" - the dangers of light and moderate use on
www.jrussellshealth.org. Our government has declared alcoholic beverages to be a class "A" human carcinogen, along with tobacco, asbestos, arsenic, etc., and when alcohol is present in the body, it negates the antioxidants. Also the 'French Paradox' was disproved by WHO and other health organizations because of faulty data. Check the hundreds of referenced facts about the damages of smaller amounts of alcohol on this website.
You may be interested in finding other topics showing how the media and the studies deceive the public - such as "Plaebos" - not required to be inert substances anymore.
June Russell
Mr. Jorma Takala
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC lists Alcohol as a known group one carcinogen, in the same catagory as tobaccos products, benzene asbestos, arsenic and about 100 other toxic chemicals.
See the IARC list of group one carcinogens here....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L...
Also on that listis coal tar, the same coal tar used to make those lovely colors that are used in many foods, drugs,. cosmetics, toiletries and textiles.
Coal tar derived colors used in food like M&Ms and other candies, Koolaid, Mtn Dew, Doritos and so many foods that I could go on for days listing them all.
Alcohol is a choice made by adults, but our children are not given any choice, parents unknowingly give these pretty colored foods to their children.
When a child eats a bag of Doritos, and a bag of M&Ms and drinks it down with a Hawaiian Punch the are consuming the carcinogenic equivalent of a pack, or two a day smoker.
Adults do this in even more excessive ways by consuming the same foods, but then adding alcohol to the mix.
It's all deadly and there's nothing that can help your liver other than avoiding all artificial food additives, margarine, alcohol and tobacco products.
larry glade
You could stop drinking for a change, I think this is the best way to protect your liver from alcohol. If you start worrying about the liver then you probably already have an alcohol problem...
Larry, alcohol treatment rehab counselor
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