Alcohol
A quarter of us drink at levels that could put our health at risk.
Regularly drinking more than the recommended amount over a long period can damage your liver. This can lead to alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) and liver cancer.
What you can do to reduce the damage that alcohol can have on your liver
- Men and Women should drink no more than 14 units per week
- Give your liver a minimum of two days in a row without alcohol every week to reduce the impact that alcohol can have on your liver and break the habit of drinking every day.
- Don’t save up several days ‘allowance’ and drink it all at once – spread it evenly over three or more day
Read more about alcohol and the liver here: https://britishlivertrust.org.uk/information-and-support/living-with-a-liver-condition/liver-conditions/alcohol/
Obesity
Many of us are overweight and don’t do enough exercise
Fatty deposits can build up in your liver which can cause inflammation and scarring. This is more likely to happen if you are overweight, diabetic or regularly drink too much alcohol.
What you can do to reduce your risk:
- Keep to a healthy weight
- If you’re overweight, speak to your doctor about help with losing weight safely – avoid crash diets and rapid weight loss
- Eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is important: aim for 5 portions a day
- Drink plenty of water
- Try eating from a smaller plate and cutting down on fatty and sugary foods
- Get at least half an hour’s exercise a day leaving you warm and slightly out of breath
- Finding an exercise that you enjoy will help: try walking, swimming, cycling or dancing
- Stick to the recommended guidelines for drinking alcohol.
Learn more about Non-Alcohol Related Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
There are several viruses that cause hepatitis. The common ones are hepatitis A, B and C. Most people recover from hepatitis A with no lasting liver damage, but hepatitis B and C can cause long term liver disease and even liver cancer.
Protect yourself
- Never share razors, nail scissors or toothbrushes
- Cover wounds, especially when you play sport
- Only use licensed tattoo and piercing studios and make sure all equipment used has been sterilised
- Use a condom during sex
- Never share drug equipment, and don’t use rolled-up bank notes
- If you need medical treatment abroad make sure only sterile equipment is used.
Learn more about Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C
Liver Good Life
Animated film explaining what the liver does, its importance and simple steps to protect your liver from alcohol damage, fatty liver disease and infection from viral hepatitis.
Love Your Liver
Love Your Liver is our national awareness campaign devoted to liver health awareness and giving people the key steps needed to keep their liver healthy.
9 in 10 liver disease cases can be prevented with simple lifestyle changes and as part of our national campaign, we offer a free online screener, arrange national roadshows and work with healthcare professionals.
Find out more about the campaign