Knowing your Liver’s limit

Ageing is a phenomenon in which a person gradually loses the ability to maintain balance, making them more susceptible to stress or damage from the outside world.

We know that the majority of chronic diseases are greatly influenced by ageing.

The longevity of people has been steadily increasing over the past century, thanks to impressive socioeconomic progress and advances in medical care. Due to this, there has been a sharp rise in the number of elderly people worldwide; 524 million individuals are now 65 years of age or older.

A person's capacity to maintain equilibrium gradually declines with age due to structural change or dysfunction.

Additionally, ageing increases the risks for a number of liver illnesses and acts as a negative prognostic factor, increasing the death rate.

Liver structure and function gradually change as we age, and liver cells undergo a number of modifications as well.

But to understand that we need to understand how our lives work.

Did you know that our liver has a remarkable capacity for regeneration?

With age, the liver's blood flow and volume gradually decline. These alterations are caused by a decrease in blood flow to the liver. As observed in people over 65, they had 35% lower blood volume in the liver than people who are under 40.

In the course of normal ageing, humans either maintain their normal serum albumin concentration or see a modest decline in it.

As one age, blood cholesterol, high-density cholesterol, and neutral fat levels also rise.

Cell death and changes to metabolic pathways are traits of ageing.

It has been demonstrated that ageing increases vulnerability to acute liver injury.

The risk and unfavorable prognosis of numerous liver illnesses, such as alcoholic liver disease (liver cirrhosis) and liver transplantation are significantly impacted by ageing.

Impaired metabolic processes are related to liver ageing.

Evidence points to a potential involvement for aging-related liver alterations in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

What is Liver cirrhosis?

When you have cirrhosis, your liver is forever damaged and harmed.

In this type of disease, Healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue, which stops your liver from functioning correctly. Additionally, scar tissue partially stops the liver's blood supply leading to cell death. This is related to the idea of tissue ageing, which has been identified as the most significant age-associated phenotypic change.

Your liver starts to fail as your liver cells start degenerating leading to liver cirrhosis.

Plus, since cirrhosis may not manifest its signs or symptoms until the liver has been severely damaged, many people are unaware that they have it.

What is NAFLD?

The term NAFLD refers to a variety of liver disorders that can afflict persons who use little to no alcohol.

NAFLD is becoming more widespread worldwide, particularly in Western countries. It is the most prevalent type of chronic liver disease among the ageing population, affecting roughly 25% of the population.

The primary feature of NAFLD is excessive fat storage in liver cells. This harm is comparable to that brought on by heavy alcohol consumption.

What you can do to lower your risk is:

1. Pick a balanced diet
Make the choice of a wholesome plant-based diet that is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats.

2. Keep a healthy weight
Reduce your daily calorie intake and increase your exercise if you are overweight or obese. If you are a healthy weight, make an effort to stay that way by eating well and engaging in regular exercise.

3. Exercise
Try to work out most days of the week. If you haven't frequently been exercising, first get the go-ahead from your doctor.

Conclusion

The average age of the population has dramatically increased as a result of longer life expectancies.

Given that this trend is anticipated to continue, the rising percentage of elderly persons in the coming decades will unquestionably create a significant challenge in terms of health expenditures and effective resource allocation.

The liver experiences considerable structural and functional changes with ageing, which are linked to serious damage to metabolic and detoxifying processes.

This means that we must begin to care about our health from a young age.