The liver is the largest internal organ performing over 500 different processes in human body. It has the unique ability to repair itself. So, why are we talking about liver health?
Our lifestyles have changed enormously over the past few decades. Our ‘on-the-go’ 21st-century lifestyle is not particularly conducive to good liver health. The effects of those are now starting to come through in the rapid emergence of liver disease as a critical health issue.
Contrary to popular belief, alcohol only accounts for 38% of all the cases of liver disease with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) emerging as the leading contributor. NAFLD affects 1 in 3 people in the UK, and if ignored could easily turn into the liver disease.
Over the past decade, deaths from liver disease have risen by 40% making it the 5th leading cause of death in the UK. What’s more alarming is that it is now the 2nd most common cause of premature death in the UK. Liver transplant is the only medical solution for those at an advanced stage of liver disease. However, only 2 out of 3 people on the transplant list ever get a liver ontime. The situation is even worse for those with acute liver failure, and 80% of them will die without a liver on time.
It does not have to be this way; over 90% of liver disease is preventable. We can transform liver health within a generation. We just need to intervene now and make prevention a priority amongst 15million people estimated to be living with NAFLD. Let's start by breaking the taboo of talking about the liver disease. Tell your friends, family & colleagues to do the same. You never know whose life you might save.
Together, we can make liver disease, a thing of the past!
