Looking after your liver
You only have one liver, it's important to know how to look after it!
Your liver is the biggest organ inside your body and does hundreds of essential jobs.
- Fighting infection and disease
- Destroying poisons and drugs (including alcohol)
- Cleaning the blood
- Controlling the amount of cholesterol
- Processing food once it has been digested
It works hard and can take a lot of abuse, but it is like an elastic band – it can only stretch so far before it breaks.
Liver disease is on the increase in the UK. It can be a silent killer, with no symptoms until it is too late. It’s now the fifth largest cause of death and affects the health and wellbeing of many thousands more.
There are many causes of liver disease but there are three main threats to protect your liver against: