Friday evening rolls around, work is finally winding down, and you’re already thinking about that first beer of the weekend. Or perhaps it’s a sugary cola after lunch, a sweetened drink with dinner or another fizzy pick-me-up during the day. These little indulgences can feel harmless when they’re part of your everyday routine, but have you ever stopped to think about what all that alcohol and added sugar could be doing to your liver?
Dr Joseph Salhab, a Florida-based gastroenterologist and health content creator specialising in digestive, liver, pancreatic and nutritional health, is highlighting why maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial for protecting liver health. In an Instagram video shared on September 15, the gastroenterologist explains how consuming too much added sugar and alcohol can affect the liver and the serious complications they can potentially lead to.
What harms the liver?
The liver plays a vital role as the body’s natural “clean-up system”, helping process and remove harmful substances while supporting immune function and producing essential proteins and hormones. But when you consistently neglect liver health – particularly through excessive alcohol consumption and a diet high in added sugars – it can place undue strain on the organ and, over time, contribute to liver damage.
Dr Salhab explains, “Fat starts accumulating in the liver when the body is dealing with things like excess calories, added sugar, saturated fat, obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high triglycerides, alcohol, genetics, and physical inactivity. If you drink an excessive amount of alcohol, you eat a ton of excess calories, way more than your body needs, that’s full of refined sugars and saturated fat, along with a lack of physical exercise, you start getting these fat deposits on the liver. And this is called fatty liver disease.”
The “scary” part about fatty liver
When excess fat continues to accumulate in the liver and is left unchecked, it can progress to more serious complications. Dr Salhab explains that this type of fat can be highly damaging to the liver, triggering inflammation and scarring over time. If the condition progresses, it may increase the risk of severe liver disease, including liver cancer and, in advanced cases, liver failure.
The gastroenterologist highlights, “Fatty liver disease is now one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease, and the scary part is that it can progress for years without obvious symptoms. A fatty liver doesn’t automatically mean cirrhosis. But when excess liver fat starts causing inflammation and liver cell injury, that damage can trigger fibrosis, which is scar tissue.”
“If liver inflammation and fibrosis continue over time, the scarring can eventually become cirrhosis. At that point, normal liver tissue is replaced by extensive scar tissue, liver function can decline, and some people ultimately develop liver failure, liver cancer, or need a liver transplant,” he adds.
How to protect your liver?
Dr Salhab stresses that liver cirrhosis remains one of the leading reasons for liver transplants in the US, with the condition increasingly being seen in younger people. He urges people to adopt liver-friendly habits early, including following a balanced, nutritious diet, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight, to help lower the risk of liver disease.
He advises, “The good news is that fatty liver can often improve, especially when it’s caught before advanced liver scarring develops. For better liver health, focus on maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating more fibre and whole foods, reducing excess sugar and saturated fat, limiting alcohol, controlling diabetes and cholesterol, and getting your liver checked if you have risk factors. Protecting your liver today can help prevent fatty liver from becoming liver fibrosis or liver cirrhosis tomorrow.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
Dr Joseph Salhab is a gastroenterologist providing services in central Florida. He received his medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton Campus, and has been in practice for over a decade. He has expertise in treating gastroenteritis and upper GI endoscopy, among other conditions.
