Diagnosis

How can I best lower my liver values?

introduction

The liver values comprise several parameters that can be determined from the blood in a laboratory and are determined in the diagnosis of liver diseases.
Parameters that indicate damage to the liver are aspartate aminotransferase (AST or GOT) and Alanine aminotransferase (ALT or GPT) and GGT. The ALT is more specific here because the AST occurs in other tissues as well. GGT, alkaline phosphatase (AP), and direct and indirect bilirubin are parameters that indicate biliary stasis.

There are also some parameters that indicate a synthesis disorder in the liver. These include some of the blood clotting factors and albumin. There are also other parameters such as Pseudocholinesterasethat can be determined for more specific questions.

What options are there to lower liver values?

There are many different ways to lower liver values. Because there is a variety of liver values that can be elevated for various reasons, the methods of bringing about a decrease also differ.
Probably the most difficult method for the person concerned, but the simplest method of all, is a change in lifestyle. The change should include a balanced, healthy diet as well as increased exercise and sport. Since this often proves difficult to keep going and to break old habits, lifestyle changes are not always successful.

In addition to this method, drugs can cause elevated liver values. It can be helpful to either take an additional medication or to discontinue existing medication in consultation with a doctor or to replace a medication with another active ingredient.

Furthermore, you can try some home remedies to lower the liver values. Some substances are said to have a certain effectiveness, but home remedies are not always of the same quality and can have different effects on different people. The same applies to homeopathic substances. If there is general aversion to medication with slightly elevated liver values, home remedies and homeopathy are particularly useful at the beginning of treatment.

Find out more about the topic here: Increased liver values

Diet tips for lowering liver values

A change in diet is based on simple basic principles. On the one hand, you should pay attention to a balanced, healthy diet. On the other hand, one should avoid foods that are harmful to the liver.

Nowadays, high-fat, high-sugar, and low-fiber foods are common. Unfortunately, this form is not recommended. For a diet that is gentle on the liver, you should make sure that you consume sufficient amounts of vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and minerals. A diet based primarily on fruits and vegetables is ideal for this. You can also try to replace high-fat meat with fish or poultry, as these usually have a lower proportion of fat in comparison. In general, being overweight is also a risk factor for elevated liver values.

There are also some foods that actively lower liver values. In addition to caffeine, this also includes dark chocolate, bitter vegetables and some types of tea based on herbs.

On the other hand, alcohol is considered to be particularly harmful to the liver, which is why it should be avoided. Chronic, excessive consumption of alcohol alone can cause massive damage to the liver and have dramatic consequences for the human body. It is also advisable to stop smoking when changing your diet, as this also has negative effects on the liver and liver values in general.

More on this:

Healthy eating
Nutritional advice

Lower liver values through exercise

Regular exercise has a positive effect on the liver values. Not only positive effects on the liver, but also positive effects for the rest of the body such as decreased blood pressure or a slower heartbeat are known. In addition to increased physical activity, a change in diet is also an option.

The sport should be done several times a week for at least half an hour. The effects are particularly good in endurance sports such as cycling or running to observe. In addition, care should be taken to exercise enough in everyday life in addition to sports. In order to achieve long-term success in lowering liver values through exercise, you may skip a training session, but you should exercise relatively consistently and seriously.

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These drugs should be avoided

Medicines that have a negative effect on the liver cells and thus the liver function and values are mainly drugs with active ingredients that are metabolized by the liver. Excessive use of the drug in question, an unfavorable combination of drugs or a pre-existing functional impairment of the liver can lead to increased liver values.

In addition, it is possible that with some drugs, the degradation of the active ingredient creates harmful intermediate stages that may not be sufficiently neutralized. An example of this is the excessive consumption of paracetamol. NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) Act. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs include some pain relievers that are widely used. In addition to paracetamol, these include aspirin, ibuprofen and novalmine sulfone.

In addition, some antibiotics pose a threat to the liver. These substances, which are actually directed against bacteria, can also have a harmful effect on the liver. Examples of these antibiotics are amoxicillin or tetracyclines.

Some anti-epileptic drugs such as diazepam or lorazepam also have a harmful effect on the liver.

Furthermore, histamine blockers such as diphenhydramine and doxylamine can be used or antidepressants like amitriptyline and mirtazapine damage the liver.

However, if any of the mentioned drugs have been prescribed, they should not be discontinued without consultation. If in doubt, the attending doctor or family doctor should be asked for advice.

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These drugs can help

A common reason for poor liver values is taking medication that can have a harmful effect on the liver.
A common reason for this is that the active substances are broken down by the liver. Therefore, if in doubt, this should be worked out with a doctor and you should switch to other drugs that are not metabolized in the liver. In case of doubt, which drugs are harmful to the liver can be found either in the package insert or in the attending physician.

Medicines that actively help liver function and its cells are often based on active ingredients that are found in home remedies. These can usually be obtained from pharmacies without a prescription. These include milk thistle preparations as well as preparations made from artichoke leaves. You can ask the pharmacist, doctor or naturopath which other drugs have a positive effect on liver values.

Lower liver values through homeopathy?

Liver values could also be lowered through homeopathy. However, there are no studies that prove its effectiveness. A lifestyle change is therefore considered a basic therapy, but nothing speaks against the supplementary intake of homeopathic remedies.
When using it, the instructions of the responsible homeopath should be followed in order to use the correct remedy in the correct dose. As with any therapy, however, the benefit often depends on the cooperation and even on the patient's belief in the success of the therapy.

These home remedies can help

There are various home remedies, all of which can reduce liver values.
These home remedies are foods that are often easy to obtain and easy to enjoy at the same time. The simplest method is to drink sufficient amounts of fluids such as water or tea. The tea should be brewed with sage, which contains a lot of bitter substances, or milk thistle, as these two plants are said to have positive effects on the liver. This is similar with a tea made from nettles, which can be easily made from fresh leaves.
Furthermore, the regular drinking of coffee can have a positive influence on the liver values due to the caffeine and other substances it contains, which significantly reduces them.

The liver values are also supposed to be achieved by eating artichokes to be improved. These can be absorbed into the body as a side dish, in a salad or as a tea. There are also capsules which contain artichokes.

Bitter vegetables, which also include artichokes, are said to be able to lower liver values in general. The bitter vegetables are also used, for example:

Brussels sprouts
broccoli
dandelion
peppermint
arugula
hop

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Lower liver values with tea - is that possible?

It is generally possible to lower liver values by drinking tea. Here, some herbs and plants that are considered home remedies can be poured with hot water and drunk as tea after a few minutes.
In general, however, the effect of tea on lowering liver values is not considered to be very high. However, with values in the higher normal range or slightly increased values, it makes sense to try to lower the liver values with tea - especially with a view to avoiding permanent liver damage.

If tea does not have the desired effect, you can try other strategies.
One plant that can be used as a base for tea is the artichoke. To do this, the artichoke leaves are crushed either fresh or dried and placed in a cup. Furthermore, nettles and dandelions can be used although they are commonly considered to be weeds.
Thistles and sage can also be used to make tea. The dried leaves should be used for sage, but milk thistle fruits should be used if possible for thistles.
If the tea produced does not taste good, it can be sweetened with honey if necessary. It is also considered helpful to consume a lot of watery fluids with elevated liver values, which is why tea also has positive effects in this sense.

How quickly can liver values decrease?

The length of time the liver needs to regenerate after damage has occurred can vary considerably depending on the cause. Also, how people try to lower liver values also plays a role in how long it takes.
A reduction in liver values can be equated with a regeneration of damaged liver tissue. The decisive factor here is the extent of the damage and the type of damage. Generally speaking, the liver is an organ that has a very high potential for self-healing, but this potential is finite.

Most liver diseases result in cirrhosis of the liver, that is, one connective tissue remodeling of the liver tissue. Once this point has been reached, a complete cure is no longer possible.

When discontinuing a drug or swapping it for a liver-sparing drug, a decrease can occur within a few days.
If the intake is stopped after chronic, heavy consumption of alcohol, this can take longer in comparison. In this case, the regeneration process can take up to a few weeks, as the liver is often already significantly damaged.
If a change in diet is sought, the high liver values are reduced within days to weeks expected. The lowering of liver values through home remedies is also to be expected in this period. Since this case often occurs with slightly to moderately elevated liver values, no permanent damage to liver tissue is to be expected. In addition, in this case the success is usually long-term.