Say cheers to a healthy liver this party season

The party season is just round the corner, a week away from the best time of the year when all we think about is eat, drink and be merry. During this time most of us get carried by the Christmas cheer and get over indulgent in the alcohol department. These 10 days of the season leaves an ever lasting impact on our liver the largest organ in our body whose job is to filter the alcohol from our blood and breaking it down. Healthy functioning of liver is vital to ensure that our body is detoxing efficiently and processing any alcohol out of our system quickly and cleanly.

Although International drinking guidelines recommends:

• Men should drink no more than 21 units of alcohol per week, no more than four units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week.

• Women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, no more than three units in any one day, and have at least two alcohol-free days a week. We rarely adhere to these recommendations during this season. Sometimes continuous drinking leads to Fatty Liver, which can develop into hepatitis, when the liver becomes inflamed.This can then lead to cirrhosis, which is scarring of the liver from continuous hepatitis.

If you are planning to drink this party season…

• Do not binge brink, stick to the drinking unit guidelines

• Avoid drinking everyday over this period

• Be aware of how much you are drinking by Dr. Hemant Vadeyar, Sr. Consultant (HBP and Liver) at Global Hospitals, Mumbai