Elevated liver enzymes may indicate the presence of serious liver dysfunction; however, weight loss has the potential to decrease your liver enzymes and improve the health of your liver. Too much fat in your liver cells can lead to liver diseases that have the potential to cause liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer, according to the website Liver Disease. The right diet and exercise regimen may help you lose weight in order to reduce your liver fat and lower your liver enzyme levels.
Liver
Losing weight may help normalize liver enzyme levels and keep your liver healthy so that it can perform many important jobs in the body. For example, the liver produces bile to help break down fats and transforms nutrients into substances more easily utilized by your body. In addition, liver cells contain potent enzymes that detoxify dangerous substances in the body, such as ammonia, according to the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, or GESA. The liver also converts glycogen into glucose to provide you with needed energy.
Enzymes
Keeping your enzyme levels at a normal level may be crucial to liver health. Liver enzymes are proteins that stimulate chemical reactions in the liver, such as the metabolism, storage, filtration and excretion of bodily substances. The two groups of liver enzymes are aspartate aminotransferase, or AST, and alanine aminotransferase, or ALT. High levels of AST and ALT can damage numerous liver cells or cause extensive hepatic necrosis, and may even kill liver cells, states Liver Enzymes.
Low-Calorie Diet
A low-calorie diet may help you lose weight and also reduce your liver enzyme levels. Research by Christoph Gasteyger and his team published in the May 2008 edition of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," observed the effects of a low-calorie diet on the liver enzyme levels of 147 obese men and women without liver disease. Participants were evaluated immediately after following the low-calorie diet. Researchers discovered that the men had a significant decline in their liver enzymes. However, enzyme levels in the women were found to be mildly elevated, which researchers considered harmless as long as the enzyme elevation remained transient, or brief.
Glycemic Index Diet
According to the Science Daily website, a diet containing low glycemic index foods may decrease the amount of fat present in your liver, thus affecting your liver enzyme levels. A glycemic index diet is based on the selection of foods that are measured as low on the glycemic index scale, which rates how quickly foods boost blood sugar levels. Science Daily reports an investigation performed by the Optimal Weight for Life program at Children's Hospital Boston where mice were fed either high or low glycemic index foods. This study found that, while both sets of mice weighed the same, the mice fed low glycemic index diets were lean, and had normal amounts of fat in their bodies, blood and livers. The mice fed a high glycemic-index diet had twice the amount of normal fat in their bodies, blood and livers.
Exercise
Regular exercise can benefit weight-loss and lower your liver enzymes to improve liver health. Exercise may boost energy levels, improve cardiovascular health and reduce your amount of total body fat. Liver Disease reports that a reduction of body fat facilitates liver functioning, and when body fat is reduced, liver fat is also reduced. Also, the weight loss experienced from exercise often results in the reduction of liver enzymes, reports Liver Disease.
References
- Liver Enzymes: Liver Enzymes
- Gastroentestinal Society of Australia: Liver
- LiverDisease.com: Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Nonalcholic Steatohepetitis (NASH)
- LiverDisease.com: The Importance of Excercise for People with Liver Disease/Hepatitis
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Effect of a Dietary-Induced Weight Loss on Liver Enzymes in Obese Subjects; Christoph Gasteyger et al.; May 2008
- MayoClinic.com: Glycemic Index Diet: Losing Weight with Blood Sugar Control
