Your liver is responsible for absorbing macronutrients and micronutrients, digesting your food and removing toxic substances from your body. A larger organ, the liver is located under your ribcage on the right side of your abdomen and is about the size of a football. Liver problems are varied, and include risk factors such as getting a tattoo, having high levels of triglycerides in your blood, unprotected sex and injecting drugs or sharing needles. While all of these risk factors occur frequently in our society today, there are natural remedies that we use in in our everyday life that can actually help to keep this organ healthy and just might be found in your morning cup of coffee.
Sluggish Liver
Sluggish liver is the nonmedical term often used to describe poor liver function. Poor liver function is typically the result of an accumulation of scar tissue surrounding the liver due to the liver not being able to detoxify the body from toxins such as alcohol and medications. Signs that indicate your liver might be sluggish are frequent headaches, skin problems such as acne or rashes, excess body odor and food allergies or other sensitivities.
Caffeine
The Washington Post reported that a study done with 10,000 people proved that those that drank more than one and a half glasses of coffee or tea per day developed chronic liver disease at half the rate of those who consumed less than a cup a day. While this study is promising in moving forward practical solutions for those who have chronic liver disease, there is still much research to be done to determine the way caffeine affects those at high risk for liver disease. While there is no documented proof of caffeine's exact relationship with the liver, there is some medical research that points to a possible receptor located in both the brain and the liver that can stimulate the nonprocessing of toxins that caffeine is able to block.
Caffeine Side Effects
Caffeine being a possible benefit to the liver has been a surprise to the medical community, as caffeine can produce other negative side effects in the body, and was once considered a toxin that the liver might experience trouble filtering out of the body. Possible side effects to be aware of with caffeine consumption include hypertension, insomnia, anxiety and irritability. Caffeine is also a diuretic, so consuming plenty of water throughout the day when having caffeine is important to avoid dehydration.
Consumption Guidelines
While caffeine consumption should be monitored for any side effects, medications being taken and instruction from your physician, healthy adults can usually consume between 200 and 300 mg, which is the equivalent of about 2 cups of coffee. Consuming more than 600 mg or 4 cups of coffee can lead to many of the unpleasant side effects discussed. Consumption of this beverage should be monitored individually, taking into account body mass, age, medication and also if there are any nervous disorders or anxiety problems the person is being treated for. Research indicates that men might be more susceptible to caffeine than women so caffeine's side effects should be carefully monitored across genders also.
