The liver helps to cleanse the blood, particularly of foods and drugs that pass through and are absorbed through the intestine. It also helps to make protein, store energy, make bile and aid in immunity, among other functions. The liver can stop working for many reasons. Alcoholism and viral hepatitis are two common causes in the U.S. If the liver stops working, the diet will need to be modified. You should always consult a licensed physician, dietitian or other qualified health care professional regarding a diet, particularly with an underlying disease.
Protein
Many people with liver disease will need to limit their intake of protein. Many of the amino acids that proteins are made of contain nitrogen. The nitrogen is not properly metabolized by the body, and chemicals such as ammonia build up in your blood. This causes many problems in your body, especially for the brain. High levels of nitrogen compounds can cause confusion, disorientation and coma, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine" by Anthony S Fauci, M.D.
Sodium
Sodium intake also needs to be tightly regulated in liver failure. Another function of the liver is to control the fluid status in the body. It helps regulate where the fluids go in the body. For example, liver disease can lead to fluids crossing out of the blood vessels and into the tissues, leading to swelling. Fluid levels in the body parallel sodium intake, so more sodium in the diet will lead to more fluid retention, overload and swelling.
Alcohol
Alcohol is particularly bad to take in liver failure for a few reasons. First, the liver is not available to metabolize or break down the alcohol, so a small amount of alcohol has an exceedingly strong effect and it can be easy to overdose, even fatally. In addition, alcohol will damage the liver further.
References
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Anthony Fauci; 2008
- "Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease"; Vinay Kumar et al.; 2009
