Tips for keeping your liver healthy

Dr. David Peretz talks about liver disease and what people can do to prevent.

One Manitoba doctor is emphasizing the importance of taking care of your liver as prevention is the key to avoiding disease and transplant.

The liver performs several vital functions, including filtering blood, helping digestion, and removing toxins from the body.

According to Dr. David Peretz with the Manitoba Liver Transplant Program, the liver is the only organ with the capacity to regenerate. He added it also has anti-fibrotic properties where scar tissue can melt away.

“The liver does so many things that we still today have not been able to replicate all the things it does as far as having a dialysis machine for the liver,” he said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Monday.

“We’re learning a lot about the liver, but we still have a lot of ways to go to replicate what it does.”

Peretz added several things can contribute to liver disease, including environmental factors, genetics, and lifestyle choices, such as alcohol intake and food choices.

He recommends healthy eating habits as the best course of action against the disease. This includes a balanced diet with fibre, lean meats and omega-3s.

“Fatty liver, for example, is very common, and it is treated with just eating healthy and keeping a healthy body weight,” he said.

“The Mediterranean diet, fruits and vegetables… I would say being very cautious with alcohol.”

Peretz explained it’s a “very serious situation” if the liver stops working, adding that there’s a shortage of organ donors.

“Prevention is the key. So, if you have modifiable risk factors that you can adjust, that would be the best thing you can do.”

· With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagacé.