It's often the most ignored organ in your body, but did you know that you wouldn't be able to survive a day were it not for the functions carried out by the liver? Active! lists ways to keep your liver in optimum health

Do not drink more than two small pegs per day, advises Ashok Borisa, a Gastro Intestinal and Laproscopic Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary surgeon from Fortis Hospital.

He stresses that in comparison to a larger quantity, this amount is detoxified faster in the liver, thus causing less harm to the body.



Borisa advises not to drink on an empty stomach and to pair your drink with nutritious food, as excess alcohol blunts appetite and leads to malnourishment and dietary deficiencies. Also, intake of non-alcoholic fluids especially lemonade, after consuming alcohol is helpful.

Borisa further recommends taking 'alcohol-free breaks' for three months in a year as it helps in partial recovery of the liver damage.

However, the liver, according to Borisa remains a neglected organ as any disease, or the effect of alcohol on it, cannot be ascertained in the initial years. Informing that it takes around 15 years for symptoms to surface, Borisa says, "Cirrhosis of the liver, fatty liver and alcoholic hepatitis are diseases that the liver may contract due to alcohol consumption. It tends to be ignored, as initially you do not feel any discomfort."

Borisa adds that on an average he treats around six patients suffering from liver cirrhosis every day.

Jaundice, hematemesis (vomitting blood), surfacing of spider-like veins on skin, Ascites (accumulation of fluid in abdomen) and kidney failure are among the common symptoms of cirrhosis of the liver.

On the other hand, a fatty liver enlarges the organ, leading to upper abdominal discomfort on the right side. Fever is a common symptom for those suffering from alcoholic hepatitis.

Borisa says that the liver also helps in the overall functioning of the body. "If you remove the liver of a person he cannot survive for more than a day. The liver produces enzymes that help in digestion, proteins and coagulant agents and helps in the metabolic process."