WORLD HEPATITIS DAY

 6 Lesser Known Tips To Treat Via Nutritional Therapy.

Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver tissue. The most common cause of hepatitis is viruses, but other possible causes include auto immune diseases ( three times more common in women than in men), toxins, certain medications, heavy alcohol use, other infections and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and, together, are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer.

General Nutritional Considerations In The Treatment Of Hepatitis

 The American Liver Foundation states that eating an unhealthy diet can even lead to liver disease as such hepatitis recovery can be complemented via nutrition. While most of the nutritional therapy via diet is widely known such as adequate water intake, avoiding alcohol and fatty foods, regular exercise, here are our tips off the beaten path to complement recovery:

Enjoy Carbohydrates –A high carbohydrate diet is recommended to meet the increased energy needs. If too much protein is consumed and not enough carbohydrates, the liver will be forced to use protein as an energy source. This is an unwise and inefficient use of protein, as protein will be diverted from its primary job of building cells and tissues. Furthermore, this will put undo stress on the liver, as it is more taxing for the liver to convert protein into energy than it is to convert carbohydrates into energy. Sufficient calories are to be provided to maintain weight or address weight loss (at least 30 calories per kilogram of body weight. A liberal intake of complex carbohydrates so include  whole wheat , rice, cereals etc.

Additionally, the use of a powdered high chlorophyll beverage such as the cereal grasses are an excellent addition of calories as well as being nutrient dense with cleansing & detoxifying properties.
Focus on  Vitamins/Minerals and antioxidant Nutrients: Many of the B vitamins have been shown to be deficient in hepatitis and other liver diseases especially B-12 and folic acid (So include fish, milk products, soy products, avocados, beans, lentils, beans and peas etc ). It is important for their immune support and healing effect on the liver, several antioxidants have been shown to be depressed in patients with hepatitis ( So include carrots, apricots, mangoes, spinach, berries, lean meat etc.)
Focus on Vitamin C and Selenium rich foods- Studies have demonstrated important aspects of treatment with vitamin C including immunomodulation action, decreasing the duration of the disease (tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts etc).As for selenium Japanese researchers investigated the relationship between selenium, Hepatitis C and insulin resistance. They found that the degree of selenium deficiency correlated with the amount of liver damage in patients with chronic Hepatitis C. In addition, they concluded that selenium deficiency was likely a factor contributing to insulin resistance in affected individuals. So try to include  brazil nuts, broccoli, onions mushrooms leeks, garlic, whole grains, egg yolks, tuna etc.

Wheat and Gluten – In some cases , gluten can be highly inflammatory; thus adopting a gluten-free diet can be beneficial to liver. The inability to properly digest and process gluten creates a chronic state of inflammation which leads to “leaky gut” syndrome. This allows toxins and pathogenic organisms to infiltrate your blood, presenting a chronic toxic overload to your liver. The long-term outcome of this is often non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the “gateway disorder” that can progress to other more serious liver diseases. At this point, liver enzyme levels will be elevated.

Milk thistle: It’s available in capsules and other forms. Milk thistle may have some restorative properties, suggests research. Some studies have found that milk thistle improves liver function in hepatitis and cirrhosis patients.

INPUTS BY NISHA AND ZENOBIA.