Diet taboos for liver patients

It is truly certain that whether you have hepatitis B or C, fatty liver, cirrhosis or are in recovery, there are only two taboos that must be strictly observed at all stages - absolutely no alcohol and no moldy food.； Most of the remaining so-called "taboos" need to be adjusted according to the stage of the disease and personal constitution. There is no one-size-fits-all standard across the Internet. Don't just go hungry just because others say you can't eat it, which will delay liver repair.

Don’t take it seriously. I previously followed up with a 38-year-old hepatitis B patient with a small triple positive. The viral load was controlled at a very low level and his liver function was normal for two consecutive years. At the end of the year, he drank 3 taels of white wine at the class reunion. After half a month, the transaminase level soared to 420, and his face was as yellow as an orange peel. He stayed in the hospital for a week before he stabilized. Whether it is white wine, beer or red wine, even alcoholic sparkling water or fermented glutinous rice balls, as long as ethanol enters the body, 90% of it must be metabolized by the liver. For already damaged liver cells, alcohol is a pure poison. This is recognized by all doctors of traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and there is no room for dispute.

There is also moldy food, which must not be touched. Many old people live a frugal life. They peel off the skin of green-haired steamed buns and continue to steam them. They peel off the rotten pieces of apples and eat the rest. They are reluctant to vomit the nuts that taste bitter in their mouths. They still cook with self-pressed peanut oil that has been stored at home for almost two years. The aflatoxin hidden in these things It is a clear Class 1 carcinogen, 68 times more toxic than arsenic. Even if you only eat a little bit of it, it will be directly deposited in liver cells if it cannot be metabolized. Once in a while, it may induce acute liver damage. Eating small amounts for a long time is a high-risk cause of liver cancer. There is nothing negotiable about this.

Having said this, someone must ask, is it true that "liver disease cannot eat eggs, touch hair, or eat seafood" posted on the Internet? This part is quite controversial and needs to be discussed in detail. From the perspective of modern medicine, as long as you are not at risk of hepatic encephalopathy (generally in the stage of severe cirrhosis and decompensated liver function, the attending doctor will specifically explain protein control in advance), instead you should eat more high-quality proteins such as eggs, milk, lean pork, beef, chicken, and fresh fish and shrimp. The repair of liver cells depends entirely on these nutrients. If you dare not eat any protein, liver cells will not grow, and liver function will improve slowly. So is there any truth in what traditional Chinese medicine says about "taboo foods for hair growth"? Yes, but it depends on the situation - if you are in the active stage of hepatitis, the transaminase is very high, you are nauseated, and your skin is yellow, then things like dog meat, fried roosters, and particularly fishy deep-sea fish are really easy to aggravate the inflammatory reaction.

There is another invisible pitfall that many people step on, which is the various health products, folk remedies, and Chinese herbal medicines of unknown origin that claim to "nourish and protect the liver." I met a 52-year-old aunt last year. Her chronic hepatitis B had been under control for 10 years without any problems. She heard from the square dance sisters that Panax notoginseng "detoxifies and nourishes the liver". She dug it up from her hometown, dried it, ground it and drank it every day. After drinking it for less than three weeks, her whole body turned yellow. She was sent to her to be checked for drug-induced liver damage. She was already in the early stage of liver failure. It took her almost a month to save her. You must know that no matter what kind of "tonics" they are, they must be metabolized by the liver. Many herbs of unknown composition, liver-protecting teas, and Internet celebrity liver-protecting tablets even contain additives that damage the liver. You originally wanted to help the liver, but instead doubled its workload. This is purely a good intention to do bad things. If you really want to take supplements, consult your attending doctor for evaluation before taking any supplements. Don’t just buy them blindly.

As for the remaining high-sugar milk tea, deep-fried fried chicken, pickled bacon and pickles, these are not actually strict "taboos". At most, they are "recommended to eat less." Occasionally, it’s okay to be craving for a fried chicken leg or two pieces of bacon, but don’t eat it every day. Otherwise, you can develop fatty liver disease even if you don’t have liver disease. If you have liver disease, it will be even worse.

I was chatting with the director of the hepatology department of the city's top three hospitals before. He said that many patients are too anxious now and dare not eat or touch anything. During the reexamination, the albumin level was ridiculously low, and recovery was slow. In fact, the core diet of patients with liver disease is really not that complicated: don’t add unnecessary poisons to the liver (alcohol, moldy food, random medication), and make the rest as fresh and balanced as possible. You don’t need to set so many rules for yourself. A good mood will be more beneficial to the recovery of the disease.