Take care of your liver

[Scuba]

We learned today that a good friend of ours passed away earlier this week. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis about 20 months ago. We’ve known him for 25+ years. He was a winemaker, definitely drank wine pretty heavily, but we rarely if ever saw him intoxicated. Didn’t drink any other type of alcohol. He was only 65. So sad.

A good reminder for us to look after our health. Thankfully, we cut down on our alcohol consumption significantly several years ago to help us manage our weight. Cirrhosis is a terrible disease. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Sorry about the loss of your friend. Makes me glad I don't drink.

 

[Major Tom]

A former co-worker died from cirrhosis of the liver in 2013. I didn't know his exact age but, at a guess, he was somewhere between 45 and 50. He was a lifelong heavy drinker. I didn't hear any details but, apparently, near the end, it was not pretty.

My best friend suffers from anxiety, and uses alcohol to self-medicate. A couple of years ago, a doctor told her that her liver was just a little enlarged. She is fully aware of the dangers, but her anxiety rules her actions. She has begun therapy, and I am hoping she finds healthier ways to cope with her issues than drinking alcohol. She has been trying so hard to overcome her personal issues, and is making some meaningful headway, that it would be devastating to lose her to this insidious disease.

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your friend, Scuba.

 

[audreyh1]

We learned today that a good friend of ours passed away earlier this week. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis about 20 months ago. We’ve known him for 25+ years. He was a winemaker, definitely drank wine pretty heavily, but we rarely if ever saw him intoxicated. Didn’t drink any other type of alcohol. He was only 65. So sad.

A good reminder for us to look after our health. Thankfully, we cut down on our alcohol consumption significantly several years ago to help us manage our weight. Cirrhosis is a terrible disease. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

So sorry about your friend!

In terms of taking care of your liver: It’s not only alcohol that can damage the liver and ultimately cause cirrhosis - non-alcohol fatty liver disease is an epidemic in this country, including in children, brought about by poor western diet. Fortunately if you catch it before the scarring sets in, it’s reversible. Heal the liver, feed the gut! - the latest from Robert Lustig in his new book Metabolical.

 

[mystang52]

Condolences on your friend's passing. I drink, in general, once a week on Saturday night, and it's literally only one drink. Liver disease can come from other causes as well. I know that there are some indications that are routinely screened in a CBC that can identify potential liver problems. So, whether a drinker or not, it behooves everyone to make sure to get an annual physical that includes a CBC.

 

[Bamaman]

My wife once interviewed for a job at a hospital laboratory in the very affluent Buckhead.

The hospital had a very large patient load of Gastrointestinal bleeders. In other words, the very high income, high society patients that came to that Cadillac hospital were very often alcoholics in distress and liver failure.

My brother in law grew up in another very affluent small town, and he is a highly functional alcoholic at age 74. And he's had a bout of bladder cancer. Of his 6 closest friends growing up, 5 never made it to age 74. They went to too many cocktail parties and either alcoholism or bladder cancer got them. A couple of the guys were second generation alcoholics too.

I'm Type II diabetic, and I put myself on insulin via a pump. I saw my grandmother die of diabetes. My father, uncle and cousin were on dialysis after renal failure. My fear is losing kidney function, and my wife and I no longer drink. Yes, we are taking care of our health the best we can.

 

[audreyh1]

Condolences on your friend's passing. I drink, in general, once a week on Saturday night, and it's literally only one drink. Liver disease can come from other causes as well. I know that there are some indications that are routinely screened in a CBC that can identify potential liver problems. So, whether a drinker or not, it behooves everyone to make sure to get an annual physical that includes a CBC.

ALT is usually part of a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) that’s usually included in annual screening blood tests. An elevated level indicates liver damage.
https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/alt-blood-test/
What’s considered “normal” for the high end of the range per lab results may still not be so healthy. https://www.healthline.com/health/alt#results

 

[Amethyst]

I am sorry about your friend. I hope he had a good life.

Your liver can go bad without any help from you, unfortunately. A dear SIL, a vegetarian who did not touch alcohol, died of an autoimmune liver disease. I won't go into what she and my brother went through, trying to get her a liver transplant as she got sicker and sicker. And I remember their anger and sadness when people assumed she must be an alcoholic.

 

[street]

Sad to hear that about your friend.

I know some people that you would think should have died from it years ago but still drinking. I guess maybe it depends on your body makeup.

I don't drink but not against it and not against having a brew either. I can't remember when the last time I had a beer.

 

[aja8888]

Scuba, sorry to hear about your friend.

My grandparents (3 out of 4) were dead before I was born. They were immigrants from Lithuania and came to the states in the early 1900's and were coal miners in Pa. On my father's side, both his parents died of cirrhosis in their 40's as I found their death certificates. My other grandfather also was gone before I was born but I cannot find any records of his passing.

During my infant and toddler years, I was living grandmother and my mother in Pennsylvania when Dad was in WWII. I spoke no English when I went to 1st grade (Fluent Lithuanian) LOL!

My father also was a heavy drinker and liver disease got him at 62 years old. I watched him go through his last years and it was not pretty. He was a quart a day Vodka drinker (or maybe more).

I'm OK, and don't drink any alcohol at all, not even a drop. But I was "on the way" 15 years ago. My ALT number is very low in the acceptable range, 12, I recall after this year's physical in early June.

Terrible stuff, this disease.

 

[audreyh1]

I am sorry about your friend. I hope he had a good life.

Your liver can go bad without any help from you, unfortunately. A dear SIL, a vegetarian who did not touch alcohol, died of an autoimmune liver disease. I won't go into what she and my brother went through, trying to get her a liver transplant as she got sicker and sicker. And I remember their anger and sadness when people assumed she must be an alcoholic.

Wow, that’s rough! I didn’t know about autoimmune liver disease (also called autoimmune hepatitis).

 

[Surewhitey]

ALT is usually part of a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) that’s usually included in annual screening blood tests. An elevated level indicates liver damage.
https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/alt-blood-test/
What’s considered “normal” for the high end of the range per lab results may still not be so healthy. https://www.healthline.com/health/alt#results

AST & ALT #s are also affected by new medications and as mentioned, fatty liver. Mine has spiked in the past from both scenarios. I pay extra attention to this now...

I hardly ever drink, but not because of this. Just socially...or on a hot day.

 

[Scuba]

AST & ALT #s are also affected by new medications and as mentioned, fatty liver. Mine has spiked in the past from both scenarios. I pay extra attention to this now...



I hardly ever drink, but not because of this. Just socially...or on a hot day.

Great improvement in your health stats! Did this correlate with your retirement? I like the color coded spreadsheet. I think I’ll make one like this for myself. Easy to spot trends and areas of concern.

 

[athena53]

Alcohol abuse killed my Ex so I have a healthy fear of it. I do imbibe- 2 oz. of scotch every night and I measure it. I like alcohol and I'd hate to be told, "stop drinking or it will kill you" so I exercise moderation and let up a little on vacation.

I read Lustig's earlier book, "Fat Chance" and he also discusses non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in that one. Scary stuff about the eating habits and the resulting changes in health in this country.

I just looked at the liver enzyme tests in my bloodwork- AST is 25, normal is under 40, ALT is 17, normal is under 32. OK so far!

 

[braumeister]

Good stuff for everyone to know.
I'll just throw out one minor point, that your AST and ALT numbers can spike for various reasons.
Mine had huge spikes once (AST 45, ALT 100) and my doc went ballistic when he saw them.

However, I had unfortunately scheduled the blood draw a few days after completing my first marathon, for which I hadn't trained enough. That really did a number on my system.

Next test a few months later, everything was back in the normal range.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, you do have to be aware of things that can cause temporary spikes. I just saw a spike in my HS CRP to 4.8, when mine is usually below 1. It so happened I had been diagnosed with a UTI the very same day of the blood draw. Googled HS CRP and UTI, and oh, yeah, that will cause an elevated HS CRP.

P.S. - wow, doctor went ballistic! Overall that's probably a good thing. Did you discuss the marathon?

 

[braumeister]

P.S. - wow, doctor went ballistic! Overall that's probably a good thing. Did you discuss the marathon?

Sure, I told him about it and he immediately relaxed and said that was undoubtedly the cause. No problem.

 

[Chuckanut]

According to Lustig the AST should be no more than 25, not the 40 used by labs today. Apparently, the high 'normal' number has increased as fatty liver disease has increased in the population.

Sugar can be as bad as alcohol according to Lustig. Given the ease with which I can gain or lose 10 pounds by adding or removing added sugar from my diet, I agree.

 

[audreyh1]

According to Lustig the AST should be no more than 25, not the 40 used by labs today. Apparently, the high 'normal' number has increased as fatty liver disease has increased in the population.

Yes, I even saw 55 mentioned as the top end of a “normal” ALT range. Depending on what reference range a lab report prints out, someone may think their liver health is fine when in fact it is marginal.

 

[Blue531]

My oldest brother died from cirrhosis last year at the age of 64. He drank a lot for a long time. It was saddening to lose him that way. From what I have read, though, it isn't just alcohol that can damage the liver to the point of cirrhosis. High consumption of high fructose corn syrup can do that also. HFCS is in almost everything processed these days and goes right to the liver. Yes, without our health, life is hard to enjoy. I've struggled with my own issues since age 47 and struggle to stay on a healthy whole foods plant based diet to maintain. Sorry for you loss. Take care of yourself.

 

[plex]

Unfortunate. I try to eat a balanced diet, going too far in any direction can be a problem, including things that seem really healthy like vegetarianism, which can greatly impact the immune system. As for alcohol, I have a strange case where I often get neck and back muscle cramps immediately after I drink any type of alcohol, including beer, wine and mixed drinks, not sure if it is psychological, or an allergy, but I can't really fully enjoy it most of the time.

 

[RAE]

In terms of taking care of your liver: It’s not only alcohol that can damage the liver and ultimately cause cirrhosis - non-alcohol fatty liver disease is an epidemic in this country, including in children, brought about by poor western diet.

Very true. Excessive alcohol consumption (especially higher proof alcohol) can certainly lead to cirrhosis, but our poor Western diet (and resulting metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance) has caused a huge increase in liver damage over the last several decades. I'm not a doctor, but it seems unlikely to me that someone who is a moderate wine drinker (drinks a little wine with meals, for example) would be at high risk for cirrhosis. Cirrhosis caused by alcohol is often associated with alcoholics, especially those who consume large quantities of higher-proof alcohol.

So, to avoid liver damage, you want to make sure you are eating a healthy diet, consisting mostly of whole foods, and try to minimize things like sugar/high fructose corn syrup, refined grains, industrial seed oils, etc..

 

[RobbieB]

Been doing simvastatin for decades, so get annual blood work. All systems go!

 

[Freedom56]

Two years ago I attended a funeral in Switzerland for a friend I had known for over 25 years. He died from cirrhosis at age 51. Like many people in that region, he drank wine heavily. He would sometimes drink two bottles of wine over dinner. I would still be on my first glass of wine. He had been in and out of the hospital for three years prior for treatment but continued to drink. I visited him at a hospital in Switzerland eight months prior to his death. His parents were devastated as it was a horrible situation that they faced. What is customary there was after the funeral service was to meet at bar/restaurant for food and drinks. The alcohol flowed like water and the cycle continued. I was never a heavy drinker and my wife doesn't drink alcohol at all. We are going to keep it that way.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Been doing simvastatin for decades, so get annual blood work. All systems go!

+1 Ditto.