Putting out the fires of inflammation in liver disease

It’s summer in the U.S., and nobody has been immune to the heat. The past few weeks have turned my sweet mid-Atlantic home into a steam shower on some days. The same sort of weather has been suffocating Europe, too. One of my friends in Germany has kept me updated on how she and her family are managing. We often commiserate on Facebook about surviving the inferno we are both living through.

Sweating through another fiery summer reminds me of how my liver must feel.

Hepatitis is simply defined as inflammation of the liver. As simple and boring as that sounds, the definition doesn’t fully explain what inflammation means or how much an inflamed liver can affect your health. Like sunshine warming a beach at dawn, sometimes you don’t realize how much the heat is affecting you until the temperature suddenly becomes unbearable. The beach is no longer warm; it feels like it’s on fire.

Having metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, means paying attention to the ways we can protect our livers from becoming an inner fire we cannot put out.

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Fighting back against inflammation

One of the best ways to reduce liver inflammation is to give your body the right foods. I’m no stranger to eating poorly, but I feel much better when I eat a balanced diet. The Mediterranean diet is often recommended for people with MASH. It includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and fish. Chicken, beef, and pork are generally eaten in moderation. Olive oil is the primary source of added fat, replacing many foods high in saturated fat.

Squeezing in exercise is also helpful. Don’t worry about walking 10,000 steps a day. While I’d be impressed if you regularly crushed that goal, health experts generally recommend at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. Walking counts, and it can benefit the liver even without dramatic weight loss.

If you don’t live near a good walking path, there is nothing wrong with using a walking pad at home or getting a ride to a park or local public school where people are welcome to use the track. Sometimes, small compromises, such as driving instead of walking to the gym, are perfectly reasonable trade-offs when it comes to protecting that football-sized organ that helps run your body.

I’m always the last person to tell people what to do with their lives, so take these tips as suggestions. Spend some time thinking about which exercises you can tolerate or enjoy, and ask your doctor which activities are safest for you. You’ll find it much easier to meet your goals that way than by taking up an extreme sport or punishing exercise plan that leaves you needing a round of physical therapy.

In the meantime, I’ll be hunting down some fresh watermelon this week at the local farmers market. It will likely become a side dish for grilled shrimp, tossed with feta cheese, black pepper, and perhaps a few spinach leaves. One of the best things about grilling is that it gets you standing while you cook without heating up the house.

So get out there and enjoy the summer heat while it lasts. It’s the perfect time of year to turn down the temperature of an ailing liver and turn up the heat while taking care of your health.

Note: Liver Disease News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Liver Disease News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to liver disease.