How to Detox Your Liver: Fact vs Fiction

There’s been a lot of buzz on social media lately about liver detox. Certain products have been claiming to provide the right “dose” to help lower enzymes and improve liver function. Is there any truth behind these claims? Or is it all just a gallon of orange liquid hype?

What Does Your Liver Do? Why Do You Need a Healthy Liver?

The liver is the second-largest organ in the body, with your skin being the largest. The liver’s main responsibilities are to remove toxins, clear medications, and break down (or metabolise) your food. It also plays a role in adjusting cholesterol levels and building proteins.

On top of this, your liver makes bile. This bile helps you absorb fats, store sugar, and regulate hormones. As you can tell, the liver is crucial to healthy metabolic, hormonal, and gastrointestinal functions. While you may not often think of your liver (until some social media influencer is telling you to buy something), an unhealthy liver can lead to many complications.

What are Liver Enzymes? Are They a Sign of Fatty Liver Disease?

Liver enzymes (like the ones identified in ads for Liver-detoxing supplements), can appear in your bloodstream for a myriad of reasons. They may be a sign of liver damage, but only a doctor or trained medical professional can help you identify this…not an influencer on Tiktok.

Liver enzymes like ALP, ALT, AST, and GGT can be checked with a Liver Function Test (LFT). Elevated enzymes may be a sign of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to cirrhosis, metabolic syndrome, or other diseases. Left untreated, these conditions can cause long-term complications. Without proper liver function, your body won’t be able to remove toxins, digest food properly, or clear medications.

The Claims Behind Dose: Does it Help Promote a Healthy Liver?

The liver detox supplements showering you with pop-up ads are getting some of the truths correct…that’s what makes them dangerous. They SOUND believable.

• Yes, you need a healthy liver to properly detox and function.
• Yes, what you put in your body can influence your liver’s functionality.
• Yes, some foods (like turmeric, curcumin, ginger, and milk thistle) have been shown to possibly help improve liver function…more research needed
• No, drinking a shot of turmeric-infused orange juice does not guarantee you improved liver function.
• No, these supplements are not FDA-approved. They cannot make claims to treat or prevent disease.
• Yes, it feels good to pay money for something you think will make you healthier. Yay! I’m investing in my health!
• No, you should spend your money on organic fruits, vegetables, and whole grains instead. Yay! Get a bigger bang for my healthy buck!

Can I Make Lifestyle Changes for a Healthier Liver?

Yes there are MANY ways your lifestyle can help improve liver function. It may take some time and patience, but it will be worth making these changes:

• Moderate Alcohol Consumption: For women, just 2-ounces of hard liquor (or 1 glass of wine) a day can damage the liver. For men, it’s 4-ounces (or 2 beers).
• Maintain a Healthy Weight: One of the key links to Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is obesity. Other conditions linked to MASLD are insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides.
• Prevent Hepatatis A, B, and C: Talk to your doctor about the best ways to avoid Heptatis. Simple prevention often includes vaccinations, practicing safe sex, and washing your hands.
• Avoid Medication and Supplements: Medications and supplements can take a toll on the liver. The National Library of Medicine has a LiverTox site listing all of the medications, herbs, and supplements that have shown to damage the liver.
• Choose Organic and Wash Produce: Avoid toxins in your food by choosing organic and thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables

Do Liver Detoxes and Cleanses Work?

Liver detox supplements and juice cleanses promise to help remedy over-indulgence and liver damage. While some of the ingredients in these products (like milk thistle and curcumin) have shown some positive effects, there have not been enough clinical trials to show true efficacy. Rather, a moderate approach when drinking and enjoying drugs is best advised.

Watch This Doc Shmidt Video on Liver Detox Supplements to Learn More:

Why is a Mediterranean Diet the Best for a Healthy Liver?

Just as toxins harm liver function, eating fiber-rich whole foods can help improve it. The Mediterranean Diet centers on eating whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. It advises moderate consumption of healthy fats, seafood, and cheese. The Mediterranean Diet avoids processed foods like pastries, chips, cookies, and deli meats. When you eat natural, whole foods, your body is able to function properly and perform its own detox.

Drinking and the Mediterranean Diet: Eating a Mediterranean Diet has been shown to help improve heart health, reduce the risk of diabetes, and help with weigt-loss…all linked to MASLD. While a Mediterranean diet includes the occasional glass of wine, it’s important to keep in mind that moderate consumption is crucial for liver health. That’s one glass a day for women and two for men.

Does a Plant-Based Diet Help with Liver Health?

Yes! Taking it a step further than the Mediterranean Diet, a vegan diet has been shown to naturally help promote a healthy liver. A whole foods, plant-based diet has shown to improve gut micorbiome and liver function. Even just switching one meat-based meal a day to a vegetarian meal has been shown to immediately improve liver function and cognitive health.

Healthy plant-based foods to eat for a liver-healthy diet include:

• Golden Detox Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Cauliflower, Onion, Ginger, and Turmeric
• Detox Napa Cabbage Soup with Ginger, Turmeric, and Lime
• Golden “Kiss of Sunshine” Turmeric Oatmeal Bowl
• Thai Vegan Yellow Potato Tofu Curry
• Creamy and Warming Coconut Curry Chickpea Stew

The Takeaway: Before You Click, Talk to Your Doctor

Social media can help shine light on topics like liver health. However, social media is often driven by consumerism and capitalism. Those provocative promises are intended to drive up click-rates and quick sales.

Before you click on that pop-up ad, click on your doctor’s website. If liver health concerns you, make an appointment to see your physician. There, they can run blood tests, discuss risk factors, and use their knowledge to help you in a personalized way.

Your health deserves more than a 30-second pop-up. You deserve knowledge, experience, and a conversation with someone who knows your medical history.