Most vertebrate animals, including humans, have a liver, and life as we know it will surely fail if the liver stops working. So before we delve into the actual blood testing, let's take a look at what the liver does and how it functions.
The liver is the body's largest organ and because of the tremendous workload we humans put on it, this vital organ should undergo regular liver blood tests. As a blood filter, the liver must metabolize our food intake, that is, it changes what we eat into substances the body requires to function properly. But as the old saying goes, "Too much of a good thing can be harmful."
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
This article is about what is good and what is bad for proper liver function. Let's start with fats-yes... there are good and bad fats. One thing all fats, good and bad, have in common-they both have about the same number of calories per serving.
If your goal is weight loss, then what I have to say here is vital to achieving that slim, trim figure you picture for yourself. Most nutritionists and health care providers agree that fats are at the root of our over-weight problems.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines...
recommend that adults get 20%-35% of their calories from fats. At a minimum, we need at least 10% of our calories to come from fat.
Good Fats: Included here are fats like olive oil, canola oil, nuts like peanuts, almonds, pistachios and walnuts. Avocados top the list of good vegetable fat sources. Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) will lower total cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while they increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
Bad Fats: The bad guys in this scenario are the saturated fats, which tend to raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL. The principle source for bad fats is as you might expect: animal products like meat, eggs, dairy and seafood. As for plant food, limit or eliminate your intake of coconut and palm oil.
Why do we gain weight?
The "mechanics" of weight gain are basically very simple. The function of the liver is to break down all good and bad fats, but good fats metabolize faster than bad ones.
Because we keep our livers busy during most of our waking hours, it soon becomes overworked. The result is that it has to do something with the excess good and bad fats, so it stores in around our waistlines, butts and thighs.
Toxins:
Other factors keep our livers working overtime too. In its effort to keep our blood supply clean and free of harmful substances, the liver is expected to metabolize the toxic substances we innocently consume. Many folks know that excess sugar in the diet will add to our waistlines so they take the overt step by consuming "artificial sweeteners." The fallacy here is while the liver is preoccupied with metabolizing the aspartame in our diet drinks, the fats it does not get around to metabolizing is stored as body fat. Ironic isn't it? Diet drinks may be the cause of many people's weight-gain.
Liver Blood Tests:
An annual physical examination will include extensive blood tests seeking to discover any not-so-apparent health problems. The list of items covered in the blood testing for liver problems is a lengthy one, but three of the most common indicators of potential problems that often serve as precursors of liver disease are alkaline phosphatase, albumin, and bilirubin.
Generally most liver blood tests are used for the detection of a possible injury or inflammation to the liver. Your physician will order these tests when needing a routine health screening and evaluation for abdominal pain, and the possibility of liver disease. Liver blood tests are typically done as a part of a comprehensive metabolic panel, which also includes your electrolyte levels and general kidney function. Liver enzymes are a byproduct of normal liver function and are found within the liver cells. If the liver has been injured or damaged in some way such as excess toxins in the food consumed, the liver enzymes leak into the blood, which causes elevated liver enzyme levels. Laboratory tests are necessary to detect elevated these liver enzymes.
It becomes very apparent then that regular checkups, at least annually, are called for. What's important for you to remember is that your liver is a vital organ and they only way to get a replacement for one is from an organ donor. And the organ donor must have died for you to get one.
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