Will Dry January Help My Liver?
Your liver processes all the alcohol you drink, and while the liver is very resilient, it can’t keep up with being blasted with alcohol forever.
Why Does Alcohol Cause Liver Pain?
The liver is located on your right side below the rib cage. What’s important for you to understand is that the liver doesn’t have many nerves, meaning it doesn’t feel pain. The reason chronic heavy drinkers develop pain on their right side is not because the liver itself is in pain, but because the liver is so swollen that it is pressing on the organs around it causing pain. By the time you begin to feel lower right side pain, it’s important to go get help. It’s recommended to speak to your doctor and getting your blood checked. Your blood work can tell you a lot of information about your liver health.
Why Does Alcohol Cause Fatty Liver?
Every time you drink alcohol, some of your liver cells die. The liver can regenerate, but after long term heavy drinking, the liver begins to be permanently damaged. The first stage of liver damage is fatty liver, when fat is deposited in the liver. The liver is the main site for the conversion of excess energy into fat storage. When we eat extra calories, the liver turns this into triglycerides which is stored as body fat or used as energy. When you are in an energy deficit, your body signals fat cells to release triglycerides to be used as energy. This results in fat loss.
Alcohol increases the production of fatty acids and decreases the ability for the liver to transport fatty acids or get rid of them. Three fatty acids come together to make a triglyceride, which is basically body fat. Since alcohol is causing a big disruption, fat get deposited in the liver instead of transported where it’s supposed to go.
Fatty liver usually doesn’t cause any symptoms, but it is something that can be detected in your blood work. If you stop drinking for a few weeks, the liver will return to normal.
Can Dry January Improve My Liver Health?
A 2017 study published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, found that in patients with alcoholic liver disease, 4 weeks of abstinence resulted in significant reductions to liver stiffness. The liver is resilient, and as long as it hasn’t been pushed too far, healing can occur during 1 month of not drinking.
A 2015 study on Dry January participants found that the month long challenged resulted in lower body weight, more stable blood glucose levels and reduced liver stiffness in participants with an average alcohol intake of 17-19 standard drinks per week. This study was not done on very heavy drinkers.
If you’re concerned about your liver, then the best thing to do is visit your doctor.
