If you have polycystic liver disease, or PLD, you can benefit from a healthy diet of lean meats, legumes, vegetables, fruits and low-fat milk products. It is imperative to avoid alcohol with any type of liver disease. Restricting your salt intake is also critical, because high blood pressure frequently accompanies PLD, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Your physician may give you specific nutrition guidelines based on your individual condition.
Polycystic Liver Disease
PLD causes multiple cysts to grow in your liver. You are most likely born with the genetic predisposition for cyst development, but generally they do not manifest until adulthood. Physicians do not yet understand the physiological mechanism of cyst development. PLD is a rare inherited illness and frequently occurs alongside congenital hepatitis fibrosis, or the build-up of scar tissue in the liver. If you have polycystic kidney disease, chances are good that you will also develop PLD, according to the British Liver Trust. Symptoms of PLD include an enlarged liver and a distended and sore abdomen. Only occasionally do the cysts become so large that they require treatment. In very rare cases, a liver transplant may be required.
Vitamins A and D
Chronic liver disease patients often lack sufficient amounts of vitamins A and D, explains physician A.S. Henkel, M.D. writing on the Medscape website. Vitamin A absorption decreases with chronic liver disease. In addition, your body has a more difficult time accessing vitamin A stores in the liver. This can result in night blindness. Foods that contain high amounts of vitamin A are animal foods such as meat, milk, poultry and eggs. Fruits and vegetables do not contain "preformed" vitamin A, but many have certain carotenoids, phytochemicals that are precursors to vitamin A. These include carrots, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, chard, mustard greens and butternut
Calcium and Zinc
Chronic liver disease patients often lack calcium, because it becomes harder for your intestines to absorb this mineral. Good sources of calcium include milk, yogurt, cheese, calcium-enriched soy milk and sardines. Zinc supplementation may be necessary if you also have hepatitis fibrosis. Researchers think zinc deficiency may increase the risk of liver disease, notes Henkel. Oysters, dark chocolate, toasted sesame butter and peanuts provide zinc.
Timing of Meals
With chronic liver disease, it may be difficult to eat large meals due to loss of appetite. You might try eating small meals four or five times daily. Scientists think that eating a snack just before bedtime is an effective strategy if you have chronic liver disease distribution. Doing so cuts down the amount of time you are fasting between dinner and breakfast, which can lessen lipid oxidation, observes Henkel. Lipid, or fat, oxidation can give rise to cellular damage by free radical molecules.
