Hidden tricks to keep you slim and healthy!
It’s our biggest internal organ and technically our biggest gland, so it’s no wonder that keeping your liver healthy doesn’t only reduce your risk of liver problems, it also reduces your risk of heart attacks and stroke, and regulates your metabolism so you burn more fat for energy instead of storing it on your tummy and hips! What’s the best way to heal, nourish and support your liver? Keep it lean, experts say, by: ● Avoiding fatty liver disease Dozens of studies prove that keeping your weight in check is the best defense against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a surprisingly common and often symptom-free liver woe. Luckily, losing just 3% to 5% of your current weight (five to nine pounds if you weigh 180) is enough to significantly reduce fat deposits in the liver, reports the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
● Reducing pressure with soy A natural soy antioxidant (PQQ) helps block fat accumulation in the liver, even in folks who consume a lot of fat, University of Colorado experts say. Soy protein (from soy milk, tofu or soy protein bars) also helps the liver metabolize fat rather than store it, lowering fat storage 20%, a University of Illinois study shows.
● Koing trouble with bacteria Supplementing with healthy probiotic bacteria reversed liver fat buildup in 51% of folks in a 12-week study, and cut inflammation in the liver 78%, reports the
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. “Probiotics may also counter the overgrowth of the ‘ bad’ intestinal bacteria that seem to exacerbate fatty liver disease,” says University of Pennsylvania expert Steven Solga, M.D. One option: Nutrition Now PB8 ($12.89, Vitacost.com).
● Healing with green tea Green tea antioxidants halve the risk of fatty liver disease by interfering with fat absorption, reports the Journal of Nutrition. And you only have to drink two mugs daily to benefit. Those same antioxidants also destroy free radicals, before they cause tissuedamaging inflammation in the liver. Important: Avoid green tea supplements; high doses or overuse has been linked to liver damage in some people.