The liver is part of the digestive system, it is one of the largest organs in the body. According to the National Cancer Institute, he owns “many functions essential to the body”. Indeed, it produces bile which helps with the digestion of fats and stores glucose, vitamins and minerals from digestion. It also makes proteins that help blood clot and rid the blood of harmful elements like drug residues and body waste.
Having a well-functioning liver is therefore essential to staying healthy. Unfortunately, this organ can be weakened by certain bad habits such as excessive alcohol consumption, which promotes the onset of serious illnesses. Indeed, as Health Insurance points out, “alcohol consumption can be the cause of digestive, neurological or cardiovascular diseases, cancers or even cognitive disorders.” According to figures given by the League Against Cancer, 41,000 deaths are attributable to alcohol each year. Dry January is therefore an opportunity to take stock of your consumption and your relationship with alcohol but also to benefit from certain benefits linked to stopping it.
But does this challenge have a real impact on the liver? We asked the question to Pauline Guillouche, gastroenterologist specializing in liver diseases and also known under the pseudonym @pauline.hepato on social networks.
What are the effects of Dry January on the liver?
According to Dr. Guillouche, the impact of Dry January on the liver of a person who does not have any particular liver pathology, and who has a so-called non-excessive alcohol consumption, will not be major. But the interest is different: improved sleep or reduced anxiety for example. As a reminder, the recommendations from Public Health France on alcohol consumption are as follows: do not consume more than 10 standard glasses per week and no more than 2 standard glasses per day and have days during the week without consumption. “If you eat healthily, do physical activity and do not consume excessive alcohol, Dry January will not “detoxify” the liver”, explains the specialist. According to her, in this scenario it is more a question “a challenge that we take on on a personal and psychological level with the idea of doing ourselves good”. Furthermore, the specialist indicates that alcohol is not good for your health from the first drink. So, not consuming it for a month is beneficial for your health in general.
However, as the gastroenterologist explains, participating in Dry January when you suffer from a liver pathology and have excessive alcohol consumption makes perfect sense. According to her, this can allow, “a reduction in liver inflammation and an improvement in blood work and therefore in liver function tests. And this after a month of abstinence from alcohol.” Even if you cannot completely regenerate your liver in a month, the challenge still has beneficial effects on this organ.
Excessive alcohol consumption: what are the repercussions on the liver?
“The liver is our purification station, it will detoxify the body of the toxic substances it receives or produces” says Dr. Guillouche. Thus, when alcohol consumption is excessive and long-standing, it will have a progressive inflammatory action on the liver. As the expert explains, he will then want “fight this inflammation with anti-inflammatory and healing processes which will take place gradually”. The risk ? A progressive hardening of the liver called fibrosis, which can lead to cirrhosis years later. But as the specialist mentions, “we are not all equal when it comes to alcohol consumption”. Indeed, some will be more prone from a genetic point of view to developing liver disease.
According to the gastroenterologist, “Dry January is a great step forward, especially in a country where the culture linked to alcohol and wine is very important.” However, it is not enough. Indeed, to take care of your liver, it is also essential to have a healthy and balanced diet, with as few processed products as possible. You should also limit your sugar consumption and move as much as possible, concludes Dr. Guillouche.
Sources:
- Interview with Dr Pauline Guillouche, gastroenterologist
- Liver anatomy, National Cancer Institute
- January challenge – Dry January, the League against cancer
- New recommendations on diet, including alcohol, physical activity and sedentary lifestyle, Public Health France